The Slytherin Prince
by Arh.581958
Summary: AU. Harry is a prince. On his way for a bride, he lands into an accident and falls into the hand of Draco. In a town unknown to him, Harry must now adjust in order to blend in and discover a way to get back home. Perhaps he's found his bride after all?
1. Three Silver Roses

Three Silver Roses

. . .

Harry sighed softly to himself. Sunset was fast approaching and his table was still a littered with papers. He slumped back, taking comfort in his well-cushioned chair. It was a wonderful day yet he couldn't go outside—there was far too much work to be done!

He was currently studying the kingdom's laws; one in particular that nagged him endlessly—political marriages as alliances. His father had mentioned it to him before but it was an entirely different story when the said documents were at hand and taunting him. He wasn't ready to be married yet.

"Harry" the voice came from the doorway. It snapped him out of his daze. With much practiced grace, his father entered the large study. He was a tall man with dark skin and broad shoulders. He possessed a dashing set of dark brown eyes and unruly ebony hair. He closed the gap between them effortlessly in a few long strides.

"Father" Harry acknowledged the man by lowering his head briefly.

Gryffindor was a far off Kingdom. It was a land home to wizards and muggled alike. King James ruled the land with courage and strength. His wife, Queen Lily, governed with wisdom and equality. The monarch was blessed with twin princes; Evan, the oldest, and Harry.

"How are your studies?" James inquired nonchalantly. King or not, he was a father at heart and he loved both his sons dearly. His voice was strong yet not in a commanding sense; it was a voice which Harry was accustomed to and respected very well. "I have word that your transfiguration skills are stronger since last month"

"I have been practicing" Harry couldn't help but smile; earning praise from his dad always filled his chest with happiness. "—day and night" he added, remembering all the hours in the gardens when he tried to turn leaves into flowers yet all he got were nothing but silver roses.

This earned him a soft chuckle from the king. James smiled to himself seeing the Harry had not changed in his twenty-one year of age. It was still the same young five year old prince which he first taught magic all those years ago.

"It seems that Transfigurations has not been the only thing you've been studying this summer" he motioned with a grin as he pointed to the numerous piles of books haphazardly arranged in front of the shelves.

"Let's see" he said taking a few steps and picking up the nearest book in his reach.

"Divination"

"Magical creatures"

"Defense against the Dark Arts"

"Charms"

"Astronomy"

"Magical Creatures"

"History of Magic"

"Ancient Ruins"

"Arithmacy"

"Divinations" the king paused as he nearing the end of the row of books lain on the floor of the Prince's study.

"Flying…?" he stated in almost a questioning tone, before turning around and looking at his son. Book on hand, or in the air rather which was levitated by his magic, he approached the prince with a teasing glint in his green eyes. He eased the book on the table. "—without a broom?"

"I thought it would be fun" This caused Harry to shuffle, grabbing the book and attempting to hide it on his lap. "I think I'd enjoy the feel of flying without a broom. I mean it could come in handy one day. Brooms aren't always at hand nowadays. Plus, it's faster than walking."

His shoulders tensed and he looked down, using his long bangs to avoid his father's eyes. He in return kept his eyes strictly on the parchment in front of him and nearly cursed as he realized what the roll of fabric was.

Seeing his son's baffled reaction, James couldn't help but laugh, causing Harry to look up at him with a mixture of surprise and anxiousness behind his eyes—the color of green just like his mother's. Harry remained silent.

James once again gave his son a warm smile and placed a heavy hand on Harry's hair and ruffling it some more. "I read this book when I was fifteen" he said playfully as he snapped his fingers and instantly the book was in his free hand. "You're two years behind your old man, my boy!" he said waving his hand in the air and immediately all the book on the floor vanished and were placed back into their placed on the shelves.

"But I say, you've done quite an amount of reading haven't you?"

Harry merely nodded in response. It was true; he had a book in hid hands nearly everywhere he went! Even when he was training with the sword with his brother Evan in the courtyard, he had a book nearby. Often he would summon the book to him, but other times he would apparate it from and library and back because he found that this method left the book in a far better condition than if summoned.

"I have, father" he replied with a soft smile of his own.

Harry was always more of the reader than the fighter type, especially when compared to his stronger older brother Evans which was the exact replica of Harry except he was a full to inches taller in height, heavier in weight and more muscled in build. Nonetheless the two got along fine, with the expectation of Evan ruling the kingdom as the crowned Prince and Harry will support him as an adviser during his supremacy.

"Indeed you have Harry" James answered "but how about your other lessons? Like Herbology and Potions." He turned around to survey the library before finding the books he wanted and with another wave of his hand, the books were placed neatly on Harry's desk top. Harry fell silent.

"I don't recall seeing these in your pile of books" he added, curious as well as concerned for his youngest son.

"They are subjects that are not of my concern at the moment" he explained lifting the books from his table with a small spark of magic and failing. "I shall study them another time" Truthfully he wasn't very fond of either subject and did not enjoy studying or reading about them at all.

"Perhaps that is the truth my son" James started and paused slightly, thinking carefully of his next words. "But as the crowned prince's future adviser, I strongly suggest that you make yourself knowledgeable with these crafts" he ended, disapparating Harry's discarded books now laying on the floor and again returning them to their proper places on the shelves.

"I will father" Harry promised with a brilliant as he disapparated the last book on his desk back to its original place. His smile faltered as his eyes once against found the parchment he had been brooding over all morning. This did not go without the king's detection. Careful not to disturb the prince's trance, he moved quietly behind him and looked over the document which had made Harry fall silent.

"_Grundgesetz als Ehe_ " he read aloud, conveniently bringing Harry back to his senses for the second time this morning. He gently pushed his son's hands aside to lift the parchment up. It was a document which he was well acquainted with himself. "This is the Kingdom's constitution for marriage"

"Harry… you know that there's no way around it." James sighed, looking over his youngest son with sympathy. "If there was your mother and I would have taken it. By laws and customs, heir or not, as prince of this kingdom you have to marry. The same applies to your brother, more so since he is the next in line for the throne."

"Yes, I understand, Papa" Harry whispered slowly, hauling himself off he chair so that he could stand beside his father. "But look at this—" pointing out the window "—our kingdom is beyond what I can see from here. It stretches past the horizon and into the abyss… If am to serve as counsel to Evan—"

"What is it that you fear, Harry?" The King asked from the side but the boy kept quiet.

Harry paused, turning to gaze straight into his father's eyes. "—I fear that I am yet to understand our people, Papa. All my life, I have been raised inside the castle only to mingle with the people our escapades. They always hold back, thinking of me as their prince and not their equal."

"But you are their Prince, Harry. Crowned or not, you are still the child of the King and Queen." The elder cooed before draping an arm over his son. "They are fools not to should know their place"

Harry shook his head at the thought. "I know mine; it is my duty to serve them as it is theirs to serve me. I shall lead by example but I cannot do so if they are afraid of me."

This time, it was James who was astounded; Harry, a man no older than twenty-one, spoke in words centuries old in wisdom. It was his turn to ponder. What is man but a hypocrite to mock his own preaching?

"Papa?"

James burst out laughing. "My boy, you speak far beyond your age! You read far too many blasted books!"

"Not even half of mother's collections yet!" The younger jests, making his father laugh even louder. The room rumbled in deep throaty sounds while the pair of brunette continued their light-hearted humor.

"Then, pray tell, what hinders you from taking a bride?" the question came much later as they walked to dinner. "You must find a bride and take your place as his adviser for if Evan is killed, god forbid it, you shall become king"

"I do not think I'm ready, there's—" Harry trailed off.

"—so much can continue to learn on your journey." James continued Harry's broken thought. "Your mother and I were married early but we do not expect you to do the same. But heaven forbid that you stay unwed after twenty-five—woe the thought of it! You at least need to start, son. Brides cannot be found that easily"

Harry thought for a moment before deciding to follow the well-given advice. It was true, he may need to start looking for one now but that did not entail to marriage immediately. He still had time; his brother's coronation was still in the distant future.

"Okay" Harry conceded "Now you have invitation, please be sure to choose one"

. . .

That evening in the dining hall, the entire monarchy sat down for supper—all except Evan, Harry noted as he entered the hall. A long table was placed in the middle of the room, with the king sitting on the end and the queen sitting beside him. There was one chair beside on the king's left side which was adjacent for the queen.

"Good evening Father" he greeted his father with a curt nod, before walking to his mother's side and kissing her on the cheek. "Good evening mother"

His father acknowledged him with nod and a smile "Good evening Harry" he said. His mother too greeted him with a smile "Good evening Harry" she said, resting her hands momentarily on his before allowing him to take a seat beside his father. They're food was served immediately.

"Is Evan not joining us tonight?" he inquired, as the first course was unveiled before him—soft bread and tomato soup. It was the first conversation of the night and he was fully concerned on the whereabouts of his brother.

They often talked here during dinner. For them, it was family time where all formalities were dropped and even with their rules and strict upbringing, they could fell like a normal family with an entire kingdom resting on their shoulders.

"He has gone to Scotland to look for a bride" his father answered him, pushing down his food with a bit of wine from his glass. "Marvelous" he commented its taste before taking another sip. "She's the daughter of my dear friend Rowena. I believe her name was Elena" his mother continued.

"She's must be beautiful Harry!" his mother exclaimed after a short pause. "I remember her mother back when we were schooling and she was the most beautiful person I ever saw" she said, enchanting a moving picture back from her childhood memories into the air with a wave of her hand. It was quickly dispersed into a thin sheet of cloud by James' hand.

"Lily, you know well enough not to use magic at the table" James corrected as he dispersed the cloud manually by waving his hand in the air. His wife barely hid a giggled from his comment as she stopped his hand mid-swing in the air. "You weren't all that proper yourself when we were in school" she shot back, enchanting yet another memory from her school days. This time it clearly showed the king enchanting bits of chocolate in the air spelling out "Lily" in the middle of a heart.

James flushed a bright red. "You sneaky woman!" he accused sending her a playful glare as he let this magical incident slip. "This was the day I started courting you" he whispered to her with loving eyes, manners aside and placing his arm on the table to reach for his wife's soft hand.

"Yes it was" she whispered back to him in the same love-dazed voice and the same lopsided smile on her lips as laced her fingers with his on the table.

The couple continued the parade of love until "ahem" Harry cleared his throat to capture their attention. The two merely laughed as they released their hold on one another's fingers and continued to eat.

"Anyway; as I was saying" Lily recovered from the embarrassing display of affection and continued with her tale.

"Rowena was one of the smartest girls I've ever known! She was brilliant in every subject there was!" she said confidently with a bright smile, flashing another moving picture from her memories. "She would always join us fro parties and balls, but we knew she was studying whenever she had the time" the picture showed Rowena and her smiling with big rolls of parchments in their hands after the graduation ceremony.

"I miss my friend so much" she finally said with a sigh, ending the spell and letting the image of the two of them fade into nothing. "I wish I had gone with Evan"

"No worries Lily" James softly touched her hand as he spoke. With tenders eyes and a caring smile he continued "I'm sure if all goes well. She will be here as a guest for Evan's wedding" he said, pulling the queen's hand to his lips and placing a kiss on it. "Then all will be well."

Lily sighed before looking into her husband's emerald eyes and giving him a soft smile in reply. "Yes all will be well" she agreed. There were a few minutes of silence once more before Lily broke the spell again. This time it was a question directed at her son.

"How about you Harry? Have you decided on which invitation to accept?" she asked out of the blue, stopping Harry midway from taking another bite of the meatball on his fork.

Harry avoided his mother's gaze and instead fixed his eyes on the plate of paste in front of him. It took a while for him to answer. He had been thinking about it all morning—rather all day. There were so many things in this kingdom which he had yet to discover for himself and he fears that this lack of knowledge will lead him to be defenseless as an adviser.

He thirsted for wisdom which can be gained from experience through journey's far beyond the castle grounds. He wanted to go out there and see for himself the hidden treasure this land processed. But he couldn't.

Harry knew it was his duty. He needed to find his bride before turning eighteen, just like his brother had done. There had been multiple invitations coming worldwide and he could only choose one then pray it turns out well. Seven invitations and he needed only one. Harry gave a long breath before answering

"I will go to my godfather's kingdom in search for my bride" he finally said, shocking both his parents.

Immediately as he said the words, the enchanted invitations one by one transfigured into different flying creatures and one by one exited the window. There was a humming bird, an eagle, a dove, a bird, an airplane, an arrow and finally an owl which hooted before it left.

"Sirius?" asked James, hardly believing his son's decision to go the kingdom farthest from their own to one of his best friends. "Why in all places did you choose to go to him?" he asked, still in a momentary sate of shock at the revelation.

"Yes my dear" his mother added I worry "The road shall be long, tiring and heavy for you cannot fly there by broom" she said, fearful of her youngest child's safety. "Did you know that?"

Harry fully nodded. "Yes I did" he said "please understand" he started to explain himself, as he disapparated all the silverware in front of him.

"I wish to serve my brother as best I can" he paused looking down on his eyes before continuing. His hands clenched and unclenched in front of him. "I fear that I cannot do this at my current state"

"Please allow me to travel and discover the lands. Let me see for myself what our people need so that we can lead them accordingly" he inhaled a deep breath, watching carefully at his parent's blank faces. "I want our kingdom to prosper under Evan's reign and I want to be by his side when he does" After finishing, he waited for his parent's reaction.

James and Lily were careful with their words. Sharing mental thoughts through their connection, they spoke after the dining room was transfigured into a small and cozy den—rather they had apparated to the castle den. Lily and James were seated on a big cushioned couch beside the fire and adjacent to them was Harry seated on a day bed. The queen was lying down with her head rested on the king's lap.

"Very well" James nodded finally agreeing for Harry to take the long journey to his best friend's kingdom, Sirius Black.

He didn't expect his parent's to agree that is why it took Harry a few second for his brain to register that they had. "You mean I can go?" he finally piped up, after a few minutes of debate with his inner self. "I can go to Sirius?"

"Yes you can" they both said in unison. "The elves had begun to pack your things already" his mother stated with a soft smile, motioning at the flames and showing house elves at work packing his things. Harry couldn't help but smile back at her.

"You leave tomorrow morning at dawn" his father continued, his hand idly caressing the queen's long brown locks.

"Tomorrow?" Harry nearly choked out with excitement. "I'm leaving tomorrow?" he shot to the air with glee. "Thank you!" he said kissing his parent's both on the cheek before hurriedly running up to his quarters and falling asleep with a big smile on his face. He couldn't believe it! The adventure of a lifetime was finally his!

Harry woke up to the before first light the following morning. He was so excited that he barely slept a wink the previous night. He stretched his arms and pulled his glasses on his face before rising to take a very early and cold shower before his trip.

"Harry" he heard his mother's voice through the door after a soft knock. With the wave of his hands he opened the door and his mother, elegantly dressed in her finest robes entered his room with a proud smile on her face.

"I'm so proud of you darling" she told him, as she enveloped him in a soft comforting embrace. Harry relaxed under his mother's touch as they walked out of the room and to the main entrance of the castle and he inhaled his mother's sweet scent it was still the same scent since his child hood days. He had faint memories of himself as a baby being carried by her so tenderly in her arms just like this.

"I wish you luck baby" she whispered to him, placing a soft kiss on his temple. "Don't forget to right now, okay?" she made him promise with one of her devious smiles.

"Yes mother" he promised, kissing her on the cheek as they walked towards the carriage.

"Harry!" his father called out just as he left his mother's embrace. "Return home, my son" he told him, before nearly crushing him in a tight embrace as well. This type of family affection was not limited to partings put for the Potter's they found it most appropriate at times like this.

"You have my strength and your mother's wit" James told Harry "I'm sure like you brother you will make us proud"

"Yes" was the only word that Harry said but it was a powerful confirmation, coming from a prince of his bloodline. He will make them proud, he promised himself as he closed the carriage door behind him and waved his final goodbye. With a final look at the castle, he finally left him home for an adventure.

The ride was peace until.

"Young prince!" the driver's voice alerted him from his sleepy state. Almost immediately after being woken up, Harry felt the surge of energy coming from all round him. It was like he was being pulled towards it. Like a spell.

"What is it Dominique?" he asked with the same urgency. Suddenly just as shortly as the adventure began, the carriage began to shake with magical power.

"Damn it!" he cursed aloud trying to the divert this influx of magic with his own; he knew what this was—a worm hole. With the great magical powers surrounding them, it was possible for magic to bend certain rules of physical property to transport a wizard from one place to another. He has studied this a few nights before.

It was like holding a map in his hands and folding it. No longer was as straight line from point A to point be the shortest route, but a bridge of magic in between the folded pages—a worm hole. He forced magic out of his body to control it, but he couldn't he only knew about this theory but not it real life!

"Your highness, a worm hole!" Dom alerted him, blasting a magical capsule to protect the prince and himself but it was too late. Harry and the carriage had vanished.


	2. Reflecting Road Below

Chapter Two: "Reflecting Road Below"

They stood in the along the water front, the beautiful water from the lake shining brightly at them as the sun slowing came to its edge. Draco could only smile. He remembered this memory quite well. It was when he was merely a foolish boy who knew nothing about the big world around him.

As a child, he was quite carefree, taking dips in the lake when it was too hot and basking underneath the sun in the clearing whenever it got too cold. His parents had been kind to him since his birth, and being an only child they brought him up with good morals and responsibility in mind.

All the rules didn't stop Draco from creating his own brand of mischief along their merry little village on the coast of a fairly small island. Beside him stood his trusted friends; Blaise Zabini, Hermione Grander, Ron Weasley and Theodore Nott, along with other kids in the town which he was very familiar with.

Day in and day out, they would cause havoc along the road with the pranks they played using gadgets which Ron's brothers, Fred and George, had created. Life as they grew up was filled with laughs.

_"One day" his friend suddenly announced. "I'm going to ask you to marry me!" he declared delightfully during a cool summer evening as they all camped in the woodlands. He was only a year older than Draco but the statement was never innocent. _

_"What are you talking about?" he asked in a questioning tone, cocking his head to the side. As a five-year-old boy, he still knew nothing about marriage and this sort of thing._

_Theo still kept his smile. "On your sixteenth birthday" he said proudly, giving a peck on his cheek as she walked away and made his way to the tent. Draco merely raised an eyebrow and stared blankly at him, but his smile never feigned. _

"_Hey! That's not fair!" A short girl joined in, dark hair in two low buns. "Draco is going to marry me when I turn sixteen!" she said proudly, looping an arm around Draco's elbow. The brunette behind her scowled in annoyance. _

"_Isn't that right, Drakey-poo?" Even to the five-year-old blonde, that sounded more like a statement than an actually question. He grimaced but never failed to smile warily at her. "See?" she pushed further, proud that he did not deny it. _

_Theo quickly fought the notion. "Are you blind, you foolish girl? Can't you see his face? He looks like he's disgusted with you!" he spat out venomously, uncaring if he was talking to someone younger than him. _

"_No he doesn't!" She wailed, nearly spilling tears. "He loves me!" _

"_No" Theo gritted. "I love Draco and he loves me back!" _

_The argument continued over Draco head for what seemed like hours until finally eh couldn't take it any more. _

"_Both of you shut it!" He shouted, breaking his usually passive demeanor. "I decide who I want to marry not any of you!"_

The pair ceased fighting in an instant. They did not want to get on the blonde boy's bad side. That was over eleven year ago, yet still Draco smile at the memory of Pansy and Theo promising him their hands in marriage. He was nearly sixteen now, soon he would have to choose between them.

"Pansy!" He called out to the girl who stood across the alcove; her dark tresses falling haplessly out of its low braids. She beamed at him and waved, motioning for him to come over. He and Pansy had continued to be close friends growing-up. Some could say that she was he best friend.

"I've got some of my mother's sandwiches, would you like to share?" He prodded his sack in search for the said item before handing one to her. "I think its salmon today with a side of egg. I'm pretty sure that you'll like it"

. . .

The sun shone high above the sky; the morning dusk faded into a fair afternoon. He groaned, feeling the sore muscle on his back as he tried to move his limbs. He tested each one, making sure that they were still agile though a bit tender.

He let out a breath of relief as he examined and re-examined all his body parts and assuring himself that they were all in proper working order. He faintly remembered the reason him being here, trying to bring himself into a sitting position and feeling his back tense as he did. It almost exhausted all his will not to howl out in pain, feeling the surge of pain radiating from his right leg.

There was blood frantically rushing out of his body. Why hadn't he noticed it before? His bloody leg was crushed underneath the carriage he had been riding! Why hadn't he notice the pain beforehand? He shook his head in frustration, trying to alert his mind and divert his attention form the pain in his legs to a solution for his dilemma.

As a prince, he should have learned to deal with pain more eloquently. He had learned all the theories and he had aced all the situational analysis he had during his study courses in the palace! Once again, knowledge came nothing close to true experience as he attempted to move his leg again. He was rewarded only by another wave of pain rocking his body.

Bloody hell, he thought, this was even greater pain than when Evan had nearly cut his stomach from his body during one of their first practices for their training exercises. At the time he was lucky to have four of the castle's numerous mediwitches to help cure his wounds by using combinations of magic and potions to heal his injured side.

He was loosing the feeling in his leg as he groaned out one more time, making his lip bleed as he bit down on it to keep himself from howling in pain. The dead weight of the steel and wooden carriage was crushing the bones that supported his leg. What would he do now? He cannot serve his brother crippled!

He could barely keep his eyes open as the blood loss was taking its toll on him. But before he could fully close his eyes and surrendered to natural death, he saw him! It was an angel with piercing silver eyes.

"Theo!" the blonde yelled out to his friend in panic, feeling nearly all the blood rush into his head as he saw the bloody man in front of him. He was riding today with Theo, taking the same route they since they were young boys but today their normal path was blocked by a distraught carriage on the road.

As the curious child in him was once again intrigued by a new discover, never in his life did he expect to see the sight before him. There was a man stuck beneath the heavy object. He could smell the eerie scent of blood as the wind blew past him. Immediately his eyes flew to the man's leg and he saw the devastating result of the crash. The man's leg was nearly torn off!

In an instant, he rushed to the stranger's side, carefully moving the man's legs to his own and whispering the words that his uncle had taught him from way before.

"Heal" he chanted in his mind, as he felt the power flow from his fingers and enter the open flesh. It left a tingling sensation on his finger tips. This amateur level of first aid would only be sufficient for the everyday cuts and bruises they received from riding, sewing, or even the occasional bump on the head but never anything this severe!

This simply would not do! He needed to get this man to his uncle before it was too late.

"Draco wah—" The boy's thought was cut short when his chocolate eyes caught sight of his friend kneeling to the ground. He feared the worst. "Are you alright?"

Urgently, Theo rushed to the blonde's side. There was blood on Draco's clothes. As he ran closer, trying to hold his breath, the foul smell of blood that invaded the air. He caught his breath in relief, realizing that it wasn't the blonde's blood whish was covering his shirt but it belonged to the strewn man Draco lying on the floor, with half his body underneath the carriage.

'Thank the heavens it wasn't Draco's blood!'

"Theo!" Draco called out again, feeling the magic slowly and steadily draining his energy. He wasn't used to spending so much magic in his life. He knew that it wasn't good for him but he couldn't stop himself from doing so.

"Help me" he called out in a soft and weakening voice, motioning from the black haired boy to lend him some magic to sustain the man's life. He would regret it if he let this man die.

"Draco, what are you doing" Theo called out after him kneeling on the floor and bringing his hands to pull Draco's away from the slumbering brunette. "You're not used to consuming your magic so rapidly!"

Draco persisted on. A force of habit made him grind his lips together. What was Draco doing? Risking his life for a stranger he barely knew! It was idiotic and foolish!

"Draco" he warned again but the blonde man refused to listen. Theo could only watch as the Draco's pale face only grew paler and his eyes loosing their focus with every ounce of magic he transferred to the wounded man.

"Get the carriage off his leg" The blonde instructed him, his voice cold with venom and his eyes held all seriousness even as his breath rasped. Theo could only follow in shock. Draco rarely, if never at all, used his voice like this. It just wasn't like him!

Then he saw it, the sheer flash of determination in Draco's eyes and he knew in an instant that whatever he said would not change the man's decision. "Okay"

Pulling out a wand, he concentrated on moving the heavy object. "_Wingardium Leviosa_" He sent the carriage hurling in the air and landing a few meter away from them with a loud thud on the ground. It was then when noticed his companion dreadfully pale complexion.

"Draco" he warned the blonde boy beside him "You're being foolish, you have to stop this" he said through his teeth as he tried to maintain his composure.

'Only a little more' Draco thought, begging his body to maintain the magic flow just long enough for the man's flesh wound to close. He could feel his head steadily growing lighter by the second. 'Just a little more' he chanted in his minds, taking small hopeful glances and the injured man's leg and watching as the muscles skin began to stitch back together.

"Come on" he gritted through his teeth, feeling the fatigue slowly overtaking his body. His hands began to shake as bit by bit as he lost control of his body. The skin was healing nicely, it was almost fully closed around the man's leg now and the blood had stopped flowing minutes ago.

"Draco" he heard Theo warn from beside him.

"Just a little more" he replied, using all his energy to deliver the last of his magic to the man injured man. He gave a deep breath as he let his hands fall to his side, feeling the exhaustion from the effort he has just exerted in trying to heal the man.

He felt a warm hand on his shoulder, looking up he saw Theo with scowl on his face. The man's sandy locks almost cover his eyes as he moved his head down to look at Draco.

"I'm sorry" he whispered slightly, using a free hand to remove Theo's from his shoulder. His silver eyes were probing with curiosity as the man's face. It was different from any other feature he had seen in the entire village and those clothes, he noted, it was foreign.

"Please" he pleaded looking Theodore straight in the eye "We have to bring him to my uncle"

Theo merely nodded, using his magic to lift the man's dead weight off of Draco and offering a hand to help the blonde stand up.

"Thank you" he whispered to him, as he let Theo carry part of his weight as they made their way back into the village to find his uncle. God knows they needed the potions.

. . .

'It was cold' Draco thought, stretching his arms high above his head as far as he could reach. Using his hands, he rubbed away the remnants of sleep from his eyes as the sun slowly brought their small village into life. With another small yawn, Draco carefully attempted to sit up but failed miserable.

He fell back to his bed with a soft pop and found himself starting blankly into the ceiling he had known since he could remember. He felt completely drained despite the fact of getting a full night's sleep.

"Ugh" he moaned quietly, weakly turning his head to the night stand beside his bed, his lips curving into a small smile as he noted the small shimmering light blue vial on the table.

He grabbed it without much effort and gulped down the liquid in a swift movement like a routine he did everyday. He calmly breathed, spreading his arms to his sides and once again closing his eyes, feeling the potion take effect. Thankfully it wasn't everyday that he had to drink his uncle's potion.

Steadily he felt his energy return to him and his eyes started to focus once more. His concentration and alertness were also going back to him. Why was he feeling so weak? T the memory of yesterday's events drifted back into his mind; the accident on the road, the carriage, all the blood and finally that man with the gorgeous brunette locks.

That man! The memory dawned on his like a tidal wave. He snapped his eyes open and stood up. He held his weight by holding on the door frame, momentarily disoriented with the sudden motion. He needed to ask his uncle for a stronger potion to wake him up next time; he noted as he descended down a flight of steps and walked into the basking sunlight.

"Draco!" Hermione greeted him with a bright smile once the blonde haired boy was outside.. Hermione's long wavy brown tresses flowed behind her. She wore a simple cotton dress and khaki flats, with a small wicker basket she clutched with both hands.

"You look pale, Draco" She commented, making her way to the silver eyed boy, her dress swaying below her with every step she took. She was at his side in mere seconds, a concerned look painted on her face as she waved her hand over Draco's face to get his attention.

"Draco, are you alright?" When he didn't respond she tried to call out to him, making sure her voice was loud enough for him to hear. She was the town healer's apprentice and her training made her aware of the blonde's unusually disheveled state.

It took him moments to regain himself.

"Yes, yes" he snapped at her, swatting her hand away causing the girl to glare in response.

"Draco Malfoy don't you dare snap at me!" she bellowed out in a huff as she took her hand back to her side. She flushed red as she fumed eyes clearly angry but concerned at the same time.

"I was just trying to see if you were alright" she defended with an accusing tone in her voice. Yes, Hermione had always been one of the motherly type people amongst his circle of friends from the village.

The soft heartwarming laughter that came from the blonde made Hermione's anger melt away, the glare in her eyes turning into one of affection as she looked at her childhood friend.

"Ron is lucky to have you, Herm" she heard Draco say in between laughing fits. The blonde's hands were currently holding his stomach through his laughter.

"I hope the bloody weasel proposes to you soon, before another bloke sweeps you off your feet!" he said to her, trying to hide all signs of weakness by playing up his friend's soft spot—her lover Ron. The comment made Hermione blush!

It was true, even at a young age the girls in the village knew that they would be destined to marry a husband and usually it was one of their friends in the community. Love always blossomed from friendship.

"Yes well, he hasn't said a word yet" she answered him, giving him a soft smile while cocking her head to the side shyly as she thought of her future husband to be. There was a rush of blood to her cheeks making her face heat up with a blush. Draco smiled at her predictable reaction.

Yes, as smart as she was the only topic she which could transform her into soft pile of pudding was her lover, Ronald Weasley. This knowledge was especially useful when trying to get her motherly instincts off ones back and turn the normally level headed girl into a blushing school girl.

"I do hope he does propose to me soon!" she wooed out to no one in particular, the love glazed look in her eyes "I'm turning sixteen next month for crying out loud!"

Draco could almost laugh at her idly thinking. It had always been a custom for their people to marry young, most of the time at the tender age of sixteen. It was like a coming of age tradition for all those who seek adulthood.

Most of the girls dreamed that their future husbands would take them away before their sixteenth birthdays, and in most cases they had. Just last month Seamus married his best friend Nally, four days shy of her sixteenth birthday.

"Hermione" he started, completely breaking the girl's train of thought and making her turn back to him with a questioning look "Have you gone and visited my uncle today?"

The girl's reaction said it all.

"Oh shit!" she cursed furiously, mentally kicking herself at her lack of concentration.

"What is it?" the boy asked from beside her.

"The root crops!" she nearly yelled, dropping to her knees and placing the basket on the ground to examine its contents, checking whether or not she had gotten the roots which her mentor had instructed her to retrieve.

"Ah ha!" she said in a triumphant voice, locating a small ginger-like crop at the bottom of her basket along with come other ingredients needed to concoct the potion she was learning today. "I need to get this to your uncle"

She motioned, carefully placing the root back into the basket and folding a piece of checked blue fabric over the top of the container to keep dust from damaging the material. She quickly stood up and made her way to her mentor's.

"Wait!" Draco called from behind her, making her turn back to look at him "I'm going with you"

He quickened his pace to catch up to the rushing girl with out a moment to spare. After all, she could decide to suddenly speed up her walking if she grew impatient. Thankfully the girl waited for Draco to reach her side before moving again.

If Draco swung that way he would definitely, she would definitely be his ideal companion and possible marriage parted, but he preferred birds than bees any day!

They had arrived at Snape's enchanted laboratory within a few minutes. Hermione had respectfully called out to the potion's master as she walked through the enchanted doors.

"Professor!" her voice resounded through the enclosed space while she made her way through the shelves and shelves of potion ingredients which greeted them as they entered the laboratory.

"Thank you for this morning" Draco called out as well; making sure her voice was as loud as Hermione's. He reminded himself to keep calm as the object in jars because weirder and weirder with each passing shelf. The passage way was long and narrow, seemingly like a dark tunnel with only the light at the main mixing room illuminating the pathway.

Once inside the two were met by a fairly tall man with hair darker than the night itself.

"Granger" he greeted the girl with a nod, flicking his hand to the side and immediately a long table materialized beside his cauldron and motioning for arrange her ingredients on the table. Hermione bowed her head, setting out to do the task her mentor had just given out.

"Thank you again for this morning, Uncle" Draco said with a curt nod at his Uncle, who addressed him in the same manner.

"I'm sure Lucius had already paid for the charges, my boy" he replied, his voice still icy and emotionless, making the blonde boys slightly fidget at his gaze. Draco pressed his palms together once again remembering his Malfoy breeding from his childhood.

"Where is the boy?" he asked his uncle, careful not to let his voice betray him with any signs of emotion. Snape was taken aback by his nephew's sudden shift into cold demeanor as he let icy exterior to melt into a smile forming on his lips.

"Enough with the foolish act, Draco, I know well of this defense" he told the boy, as he took the wand from his rope and pointed to the wall. He uttered a soft incantation under his breath and immediately the rocks started to fold away to reveal a door.

"The boy's right over there" he pointed out, before returning to his work and letting Draco check on the brunette's condition.

Inside the small room was a simple bed, covered in white sheets and thick white blankets. He frowned as he noticed where his uncle had transported him to. It was Evelena Pomfrey's cottage; most people affectionately called her Madam Pomfey or Poppy for short.

The experienced witch took care of all their needs medically and his uncle supplied her with his potion. Surely it was only logical for his uncle to send the injured man here right? He found himself frowning, seeing all the village girls flocking over the brunette stranger. He would have to talk to Poppy about giving the deathly man more privacy in her cottage rather than letting the blushing girls gawking at him.

"Draco" he heard a voice call from behind him.

"Poppy!" he cried out, loosing his breath as the witch caught her in one of her lung crushing hugs.

"How have you been darling?" she asked him in her uncommon motherly tone, especially as she stressed her voice on the 'darling'. "I hope you're in the best shape you can, dearie"

"My, my" she shook her head in disappointment "You're thinning down quite a bit lad"

The sudden blast of questions and the flooding of questions made him momentarily disoriented, while he let his body do exactly as she told him.

"You need to ask your uncle for some more of that nutrient potion he always give you!" she said with a smile before turning her gaze to her latest patient. Her eyes widened with the sight of girls flocking over the sleeping stranger

"Oi! You lassies, get back outside and do you duties" she shooed them away, using her hands in a sweeping motion to her get her point across. "Before I tell your husbands to be that you've been fawning over this young gentleman here"

She dusted her hands off in victory with a smile on her face. Draco shuffled a laugh behind his fist at the sight. Yes, he admitted to himself that the brunette was very handsome sight. He just didn't imagine that it would affect those girls so strongly.

He watched as the muscles on the man's face hunch up into a scowl. "Poppy" he called out in an alarming tone, watching carefully as the boy began to stir awake.

"Poppy" he called again, just as the boy tried to stand up. Stood there, frozen as rock—unsure of what to do.

. . .

It was dark, he thought out. Cringing as he began to feel his aching muscles from beneath him. He felt strangely heavy, like his body was a ton of dead weight above him and preventing him to move. Trying to move his arms but terribly failing to move them at all.

A pain shot up his spine and he cringed again in pain giving out a soft moan of discomfort. "Poppy!" he could hear a voice calling out from above him. Who was it? He thought it sounded strangely familiar.

"Poppy" there was that voice again. Harry fought hard to remember where he had heard that commanding voice before. Who could it be? He started to stir awake, feeling his body burn with each attempts of movement.

He groaned out again, louder this time, testing his voice to see if it was still working. He tried to sit up—but stopped as he felt a warm hand on his chest to stop him. "Don't" he heard the voice say to him and he complied.

Madam Pomfrey almost ran into the room after hearing Draco's distressed voice from the second first floor.

"What's the matter dear?" she could barely ask, inhaling deeply obviously without breath from running down the staircase. She could see the boy's had his hand on her patient's chest, her mind clearly registering why as she watched the brunette's chest rise and fall in uneven breaths.

"He woke up didn't he?" she asked rhetorically as she made her way to the bedside and removed Draco's hand with her own, making the boy blush and retracting his hand back.

"Now stay calm darling" she whispered, checking Harry's vital signs for an abnormalities and releasing a relieved sigh when she found none.

"Okay dear you can sit up now" she told him, as she left to get a few potions.

Harry obediently followed her instruction, weakly getting up from his lying position. He tested out his muscles first, as a force of habit taught during his years of training in the castle. He always made sure to check if any part of his body hurt to make sure he hadn't overworked it the day before.

He opened his eyes last, his sight was blurry and the unfocused sight caused his head to throb a bit. He took a deep breath and then concentrated the magic flow into his eyes and he started to blink again, with each time his eyes growing clearer.

At the final blink his eyes were restored to their top condition. The first thing he saw was flashing silver eyes looking over at him with concern. That's when the etiquette instilled in him since birth kicked in. He smiled at the beautiful blonde stranger.

"My name is Harry" he said, offering his hand as a sign of friendship.

At first the blonde was shocked as he watched the injured man slowly get into a sitting position. Curiously he marveled at how fast the brunette had healed! Finally what caught him off guard were those enchanting green eyes that focused solely on him.

The stranger gave him a smile and offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you" he answered, taking the hand into his own. The smooth palm felt different against his rough palms. "I'm Draco" he said back. Suddenly the man in front of him was no longer a stranger to him.

"Would you like to come over for supper?"


	3. Moonlight River

Chapter Three: Moonlight River

Dinner was quite a pleasant affair for the Draco's family. In a humble moderately sized cottage abided the Malfoy family; made of smoothed stoned on the outside and decorated with deep woods on the inside, it gave the loving aura of family.

It was definitely smaller than the huge castle which Harry was accustomed to, but he found it quite pleasing; it was—comfortable. The fire place was not the only one shedding light on the small dining area; two candles were placed at even distances in the middle of the medium length rectangular table. The wooden door opened and Draco stepped inside.

"Mother!" he called out lovingly to the woman who was in the kitchen, rubbing the dirt off his feet before entering the hall with Harry cautiously doing the same as he entered the home behind him. Draco walked casually to his mother, as she turned around to face him. They both greeted each other with a warm embrace and a peck on the cheek.

"How was your day sweetie?" she mumbled against his cheek before letting him go. The woman was fairly tall, just at Draco's eye level with her dark black hair tied at the back of her head with a red satin ribbon. "Did your friend wake up already?"

The boy in front of her scratched his head, coking his head to the side and praying for her to follow his eyes. She did; immediately her pale blue eyes were set on the handsome young man who stood proudly at the entrance.

"Ohh, might this person be him?" she asked playfully nudging the blonde's shoulders as she made her way to Harry's side, eyeing him up carefully.

"Good evening, my Lady" Harry said with a polite bow, as he sand to one knee and kissed the back of her hand before standing at full height once more. The action made Draco annoyed, moving in between his mother and Harry.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he almost yelled at the brunette; for some reason jealousy boiled within him.

"I was greeting her" Harry muttered dumbly. He just didn't understand why the blonde reacted in such away. Wasn't it just proper to greet a lady my kissing her hand? He simply did not understand this. He turned to look at the boy's furious expression and immediately regret filled his heart.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you" he said, lowering his head.

"My, my! A gentleman!" Narcissa said with a smile, pulling her hand away from him. "Thank you for the courtesy young man"

"What are you doing you idiot?" Draco said more loudly this time, still standing in between his mother and the boy. "Don't you know anything?"

Harry blushed hard and tilted his head down even more.

"I.." he shuttered out. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to things around here just yet" he told him, shuttering broken sentences as he did. Unconsciously, he began fiddling with the sleeves of the white shirt which Draco had lent him. The old shirt was small for him, barely covering his wrist even as he attempted to pull it longer.

"Don't you know that kissing a girl's hand out blood of relation is proposal of marriage?" he bellowed out grinding his lips together. "She's already married! I take you here to meet my mother and you do this?" He swiped Harry's hand away and moved protectively in front of his mother.

"Draco, Draco dear" Narcissa called out now, trying to stop her son from further outburst. "I do believe your friend isn't used to out customs yet" The action worked immediately with Narcissa's magic flowing to him, tingling on his skin to calm him down. It was the motherly touch that Draco had grown up with.

It was now Draco's turn to look embarrassed.

"I'm sorry" he solemnly apologized to the brunette in front of him. "Mother is just really important to me"

His mother had always been a loving parent to him as a child, and even as he grew up that same maternal love which he felt from his childhood never faded, decreased or faltered. During times when he was sad, her warm embrace would calm him down from his hysteria.

Immediately Harry's green eyes melted to compassionate from apologetic as he saw the quivering blonde in front of him. At first he was shocked at the blonde's sudden eruption of emotion, but as he listened to his explanation, the more he understood.

Lily had also been a loving mother to Evan and him even as when they were only boys who knew nothing about heir royal duties to the kingdom. He knew very well the protectiveness that Draco had for his mother; if Lily were to face such danger, he would very much react the same way.

. . .

Moments later, after the encounter in the living area; the three had settled down to making dinner and awaiting the last member of the family to arrive. Harry had insisted to help out with the kitchen despite Draco's very verbal refusal; whilst Narcissa merely nodded and handed Harry a knife. In frustration, the boy left the brunette with his mother to gather herbs growing near the river banks.

"Do you cook often at home, Harry?" Narcissa asked him, attempting to make small conversation as she stirred the boiling pot and brought the watery red liquid down to a simmer to thicken. Behind her, Harry was currently peeling a few carrots and potatoes with speed, precision and ease.

"Cooking?" he looked as her with confusion, still managing to maintain the speed of pealing then moved on to cutting the vegetables into cubes, without even looking.

"Yes, cooking dear. Like what I am doing now" she replied looking up at strange light skinned boy. She watched carefully as he expert cut the potatoes, carrots and beet roots without much concentration.

"I'm sorry" he suddenly answered her, ceasing all movements. "I don't know how to cook, Mrs. Malfoy" he said in defeat, once more looking at his sleeves and fidgeting with them.

Narcissa just stared at him in wonder before checking if her stew had gone down into a simmer before placing a lid on the pot. She lessened the heat and them made her way to the brunette and picked up a cube of carrot.

"But you cut so finely and perfectly, dearie" she said, eyeing the carrots, potatoes and beets on the table. "It is like you are used to a knife!"

"Are you some kind of warrior where you are from?" she asked him curiously, placing the cube on the table and collecting more ingredients in the pantry. "A soldier maybe? A knight? "

Harry merely shook his head. "I'm neither of those" he whispered, tightening the grip on his knife. He had never been a warrior, he had never soldier nor had he ever been a knight. He was not worthy to be called by any of those titles!

All he was capable of was reading books and learning strategy but he commanded great armies from the protection of the castles walls. He was never sent to battle—he wasn't worthy. Not once did he see blood spill as the terrible consequences of war.

He couldn't; he was too far away within the stone walls of the castles. It was his bother who was stronger; Evan was always sent to fight for the kingdom! Not him. "I am merely…" he spoke carefully, choosing his words; he knew that if he revealed his identity now surely he would bring trouble to these kind people.

"I am merely a learner" he told her, as he put all the cubed vegetables into a bowl for her to use. "In all my years of living, I have learned many things for wise men and books filled with knowledge" he explained with a smile, hoping she would ask no more about his knife skills. "I was always fascinated with learning knew things"

Naricssa nodded but her instincts told her that the boy was hiding something. For now, she would let it go. After all, it was just their first meeting. "So tell me about the place you are from, Harry" she politely inquired as they started setting the table.

"It's a beautiful place Mrs. Malfoy" he replied, curtly giving a nod as he brought the dishes from the kitchen to the table.

"Please, call me Cissy" she told, him as she took the plates from his hands and set the table. It had been a while since they had a guest. Maybe an extra plate on the table would give room for more.

"What do you like about it the most?" she asked.

It took a while for Harry to answer. The kingdom was huge and he loved every crook and cranny of it! It took a while to form a decision. "The moon" he told her as he brought in the glasses for them to use. Narcissa had told her the order of things to bring out to the table earlier, just after the blonde left.

"From my window in the castle, I would see the most mystifying pale lavender blue moon" He drew a massive window in the air and motioned with his hands how close the moon seemed through that window. "But it only shone with the magnificent color once, every year"

'The moon?' Narcissa smiled. Of course she knew the reason for the moon's change in appearance. It was because of them after all. "That's very nice dear" she told him, placing the fifth glass on the table.

"Is it a very pleasant feeling when to look at it?" she asked him, as she moved to the cupboard to gather some napkins and silverware. Harry's was immediately beside her to help.

"Yes" he answered with a sheepish smile. "Despite the many wars, whenever the moon shone that comforting color, I would immediately become level-headed again"

"Ahh I see" Naricissa commented, before moving back into the kitchen. This boy was surely one of a kind. Perhaps in the next few days she can find out who he is and solve the mystery of his arrival in their small village.

. . .

Draco made his way through the thick dense forest, surrounded by grueling trees on each side. He wasn't fazed. He was used to walking around the forest even at the dead of night. Even as a child his mother had sent him out to get herbs at their very best, for her recipes.

His mother was a wonderful brilliant cook; she was amazing in every dish she created so Draco didn't really mind being sent out in the middle of the night in exchange for her food.

At the edge of a clearing, there was a patch of green near the river. The familiar aroma of the herbs filled the air; he knew this scent well and proceeded to move closer to the humble bush. He allowed his fingers to trace over the leaves and pick them with practiced ease. He had long gotten used to going this. By now he was familiar with the angle and cut to sever the plants cleanly without break.

A ripple in the water; he knew he was not alone by the river. There was someone watching him. He listened for it, carefully moving over closer to the lake; he that there would be a reflection against the water. His movements were subtle and almost unnoticeable. He moved closer to the river, with an eye keeping still on the running water that flowed a few less than a meter away from him.

He saw it! A flash of pale hair was swiftly moving towards him.

"Dra—ow!" In a far distance, a big flock of birds left their nests and flew into the orange skies high above them. Within a quick instant, Draco flipped the intruder over his shoulder and into the running water, making the boy yelp in response.

Theo sat at the bottom of the knee deep length with his trousers and shirt soaked. His hair was a mess and had fallen to his face, covering his eyes.

"Theo!" he gasped at the sight. "Oh goodness, I'm sorry!"

He extended a pale hand to him. "I thought it was a savage!" he tried to explain as a deep blush painted his cheeks, dropping the basket of herbs on the ground with a loud thud.

The boy snorted a laugh before he smiled "Haha, yeah right" He was soaked to his knickers underneath his pants and the temperature tonight wasn't that friendly. The wind's breeze blew by giving him a chill in the spine.

"It's your fault you know!" the blonde defended, as he leaned more towards the river in attempts to reach his friend. "If you had announced your presence earlier, I wouldn't have attacked you"

"If I did that then, I would lose the surprise" Theo told him, taking the blonde's offered hand and pulled himself onto the shore line beside the other boy. He pulled the white shirt off over his head and once again twisted it to release water. Damn, so much for making an entrance he cursed at himself.

"Damn the water's cold" he said as a joke, rubbing his hands up his arms for some warmth against the cold with and freezing water. His body was dripping with water from the river, making him shiver with the cold.

"Oh? And what surprise is that?" he snorted back, pulling his hand away from the boy and straightened his clothes to make himself look presentable. Malfoys after all are expected to keep their appearance up at all times if possible and this disheveled look was certainly not a part of it!

He too cursed, when he found that his trousers have been muddies by the water splash from Theodore's fall in the river. The water had caught his lower right leg, but as soon as he reached for Theo, the mud has stuck onto the wet fabric making it dirty.

"Me!" Theo said, proudly showing his muscular figure. Draco wasn't impressed.

"I've seen better" he retorted back, turning his back and continuing his earlier activity—picking out herbs; his back the blush once again creeping into his face as he forces his mind to concentrate to other things.

Yes, Theo was a very well-tone man; they were both adolescent teens with raging hormones but he first and foremost will be Draco's best friend. It was just wrong to think of Theo in _that_ way. Herbs, he reminded himself; he needed to fin the herbs which his mother has sent him to gather.

"Your mother again?" the other boy asked, bending down to help him. He knew Draco's mother was a great cook, the entire village knew about it. Her cooking was usually the centerpiece of any occasion which they celebrate—this, meaning ALL the occasions they celebrated.

Everyone favored her delicacies, especially the ones for the moon festival that happens ever so often. It was often the thing that the people looked forward to the most—Narcissa Malfoy's cooking!Draco merely nodded his head.

"We have a visitor for supper tonight" he told him with a growl, as he clipped another leaf from the bush furiously, venting out all his frustrations on the helpless shrubs, tearing the leaves harshly yet still retaining the proper way to pick them.

The sound made the boy beside him flinch at the venom in his voice. It was _that_ voice again; the one which Draco had used almost two days ago when he found Draco draining himself of his magic to save a bleeding man whose leg was crushed beneath his carriage.

"What has gotten you so worked up, Draco?" Theo asked him, as they were about finished.

"Nothing" the boy grumpily replied, turning his back and cutting the last of the leaves. Theo started to fidget from his place as they continued to work. Something was wrong with Draco and he needed to find out what it was. After all, he was a best friend first and a lover only second, right?

"Draco" he said in a low and commanding voice, making the blonde turn to look at him with a dumbfounded look. "Yeah?" he heard the pale boy say as he looked at him.

"Tell me what's bothering you. I can feel that something is not right" he said, moving closer to put a hand on the blonde's shoulder, but Draco shook it off.

"It's nothing" the boy argued back. Theo let it go and they both continued to work in silence.

"Okay it's done" Draco sighed in relief, stretching his back and feeling the burn on his lower back that made him wince.

"Aww fuck" he cursed underneath his breath and attempted to cast a healing charm, but it didn't work. This part of the forest was laced with ancient magic and protected by its power. New age magic was nullified here. It was useless.

"Damn" he cursed again, moving his back to a more comfortable position but still no avail.

"Are you alright?" the other asked him, carefully placing hands on Draco's waist and massaging the swollen area. This made Draco moan with pleasure.

"Thank you" he managed to whisper as he let the boy caress his body. Theo hands made their way to the blonde's front, stroking the stomach and making its way inside the blonde's shirt. The cool hands made the boy hiss in anticipation.

"Have you thought about my proposal?" Theo whispered in a low husky voice, gaining another soft moan from the blonde. Immediately Draco's eyes snapped and he moved away. His silver eyes flashed with adrenaline which was immediately caught by Theo's blue ones. He knew he wouldn't be able to get his answer from the blonde today.

It was nearly two weeks ago when he bent down took Draco's hand in his, kissed it and asked the blonde to marry him. Teens in their village marry young, and keep the village young. It also helped maintain the small age different between different generations and there fore created a tighter bond within families and allies in order to protect their area.

He had long been fond of his blonde friend. They had always been together since they were kids and slowly the feelings of friendship developed much more. He wanted to be with Draco and cherish him. Besides, it wasn't taboo in their colony to marry the same gender, as long you promise to surrogate children or drink potions to have one male of the pair carry a child.

When he reached fifteen, he already knew who he wanted to marry when he reached the right age and that was Draco, who was thirteen at the time.

"Theo, I…" he couldn't bear to talk; he didn't want to lose his friend too. "It's not you, honest. I just…" but the guy's hand stopped him from talking further.

Yes he knew that Theo loved him; he knew since he was fourteen that the boy intended to ask his hand for marriage but he wasn't expecting it to be this soon. He was only sixteen for crying out loud, he wasn't ready for that kind of commitment yet.

"It's fine" Theo said roughly but hid the disappointment with a smile. "It's no rush like I promised" he said, giving Draco a warm embrace "I will wait for you"

Draco sighed in his embrace. He loved Theo, there was no doubting that, but he didn't quite love him that yet. He sighed some more; maybe in the future it would some.

"I'm sorry" he said, as he tightened his hold on Theo. "I'll make it up to you with dinner tonight" he said, faking a laugh and trying to clear the eerie mood that had begun to form. Dinner would be perfect; having Theo around would distract him from the brunette even more.

The other nodded. "Okay. That sounds wonderful"

. . .

Narcissa and Harry were already finishing up the food for tonight's dinner; a artichoke soup, deep-fried fish with tartar sauce, and mash potatoes to top it all off. Meal time might be one of the humblest occasions for the Malfoy family, but it certainly wasn't a boring one.

Each dish prepared by Narcissa would be mouthwatering from the time the food catches your eye, to the time it enters your mouth. Everything was tied together by a few slices of lemon of the side. It was a treat for the senses!

It was nearly sundown when Draco returned to the house from his herb collecting cool down and he wasn't alone. "Mother!" He called out once more as he entered the house carrying nothing but his coat.

"Theo is coming over for dinner" He said, making his way to the kitchen. Immediately his stomach growl at the smell as the aroma of food filled his nostrils. "

"It smells delicious" he kissed her on the cheek and poured himself a glass of water as he did.

"Thank you and that's wonderful Draco" she replied, ladling the artichoke soup into a big wooden bowl. "I thought Theo was coming over for dinner, sweetie?"

Strange, Theo always followed Draco home whenever he was invited for dinner since they were kids. It was a rare thing for him to let Draco walk home alone, especially this late in the coked his head to the side in thought

"He said he wanted a change of clothes before dinner." He mumbled, lowering his head in embarrassment when he remembered the boy's reason for soaked cloths before continuing his one sided mumble. "I flipped him into the lake when I thought he was a robber"

"Cissy?" Another voice called from the doorway; Lucius was home. Harry immediately walked up to meet him, behind Narcissa.

"Love, we have a new guest tonight" she told him after the quick peck on her husband's cheek before moving next to Harry. "This young man helped prepare dinner tonight" she told him proudly bring Harry closer.

Harry smiled, extending his hand to the man "Harry Potter"

"Lucius Malfoy" he replied shaking his hand. His stood a good few inches taller than Narcissa, who was still taller than Harry, with striking blonde hair almost resembling Draco's and silver eyes to match. He looked strong and proud, very much reminding Harry of his father by the aura Lucius seemed to possess.

For a minute he was struck. The relapse faded when yet another figure walked through the front door, who Draco greeted warmly "Theo!"

. . .

Dinner was a pleasant event, at least usually, in the Malfoys household. They all sat around the table eating Narcissa lovely cooking. At the end of the table sat Lucius, on his right sat Narcissa with Harry beside her and on his left say Draco with a freshly dressed Theo beside him.

They all sat down quietly, unsure of how to start conversation until Lucius broke the spell.

"I heard you helped Cissy prepare dinner tonight?" he asked in a friendly tone, motioning to the brunette near the edge of the table.

He stopped his fork midway in the air, to look at the man who spoke to him "Yes I did Sir" he replied, giving a brief nod before resuming his previous actions. At this, Theo looked surprised.

"That's amazing Harry!" he praised, reaching over to pat the boy on the back. "The food still tastes as well as Cissy cooks it!"

Harry gave a soft chuckled before answering. "I didn't cook anything. I merely peeled the ingredients she needed for the dish" he said, while taking another bite. "I don't deserve the credit"

"Oh yes he did! Look at how uniform the potatoes, carrots and beets are!" Narcissa told them, proudly showing her plate of the said ingredients to show that they were perfectly cubes in the same sizes. She admits that even at times, she had difficulty doing that task. Harry merely blushed and looked down.

They room gave a warm laugh.

"Say Harry! How would you like to join me tomorrow morning for some moon flower picking?" Theo asked after a few moments of silence.

Moon flowers were small flowery plants which resembles very much like the pink cherry blossoms in Japan, but instead of having a white and pink color range, Moon flowers were usually found in the color of blue and lavender. They could be found in large trees in the middle of the dense forest, but it was not all that easy to find these flowers.

Moon flowers were magical flowers found not in just one specific tree; it wasn't that easy. They were often found in different trees, bushes and other plants all around the forest in glowing fruits.

The fruits needed to be picked while they were still young or still glowing the pale tint of blue, else they couldn't be cooked properly because they magic properties weren't as strong any more. These fruits and vegetables needed to be cooked at the Moon festival which was all in line with the town's traditions.

The moon festival was a celebration of the entire village whenever it a marriage was insure. It would often give couples either the magical blessing or a curse for the entire time they lived together. For many people it was the time they dreaded the most before getting married. It often determined the course of couple's futures.

Harry reluctantly agreed, trying to avoid unwanted attention. "Sure"

Theo smile brightly at Harry's response. "That's great! I'm sure the guys would love the help in collecting the blasted things!" He said while chewing on a bit of fish that was slandered in tartar sauce.

"We definitely need the help with the upcoming festival collection!" he said, thinking about this year's festival would lead to his own wedding bells. .


	4. Elemental Magic

Chapter Four:

Harvesting was commonly done several times before the Moon Festival. There were only a handful of occasions when Moon Flowers were in full-bloom; often it fell under the guidance of a full moon. Through the ancients, their stories revealed that magical aura is naturally connected to the moon and reaches its peak when the moon is in its fullest.

Yearly, all entrants for binding were tasked to do the picking. These were the ones available for marriage. During the festival, they will ask for a blessing to be bound. Not all pleas are answered; therefore, not everyone who wished to wed will be granted permission. This is why the unmarried youth were also encouraged to participate as well for a chance to finally be bound.

"Hey old man!" Theo called over his shoulder with a feral smirk. He currently led a group of four deeper into the forest. Draco was a few paces behind him; a red-head named Ron a little further back while the green-eyed brunette was lagging far behind. "Can't you keep up?"

Harry grunted as a reply while he attempted to lunge over a particularly large tree root. This was worse than his sparring sessions with Evan. They were always in the confines of the castle when they trained; never were they outside the walls. The red-head saw his difficulty and took pity.

"Don't mind him, mate" Ron gingerly said, offering his hand to Harry before the man completely fell into a ditch. Emerald eyes looked up at him gratefully.

"Thanks" Harry muttered with a huff. His arm strained as he struggled to hold on. The red-head took pity on him and pulled him up with little effort. He flashed the man a smile of embarrassment. "I'm not really much for the forest."

"Theo's just being an arse 'cause your living with his fiancé!" Ron laughed throatily before wiping a bit of sweat that formed on his brow. He patted Harry on the back good-naturedly. "I'm Ron by the way" He introduced, reaching out his hand once more for a handshake.

After dinner the previous night, Lucius had offered Harry a room to stay in. Though reluctant, the brunette finally agreed after much persuasion from Narcissa and much to frustration of Theo. Draco didn't raise an opinion but he did give Harry a shy smile as they retired to their rooms.

"Harry" The brunette shook the hand firmly. "Nice to meet you" He greeted, returning the smile. His body was still too weak to try any magic. According to the books, it was best he wait for it to return. And if his theory was correct, he might be able to apparate home during the full moon.

All he needed to do was wait and may be learn a bit about the natives a bit more. He wasn't sure who had jurisdiction over this village. One thing he was sure about was that it wasn't under Gryffindor. Maybe it was under Ravenclaw? Or Hufflepuff?

Ron released a throaty laugh. "You're mighty respectful aren't you?" He said with a grin as they struggle to catch up with Draco and Theo. Harry laughed with the red-head. "So how old are you anyway? You can't possibly older than us by much"

The question took Harry by surprise. So far, no one has asked him any personal questions yet—just the name was enough. "I actually just turned twenty-one a few months back." He said with a chuckle. "But people say I look a lot younger"

"Woah! I scrawny guy like you is twenty-one?" Ron looked a bit appalled but he quickly recovered from it. He even teased Harry good-naturedly. They were moving in a steady pace now. "You must be joshing me! You don't look a day over nineteen at best!"

"Yeah. I get that a lot." Harry jested back. Somehow Ron's companionship had helped him a great deal. It was easier to keep up with someone guiding you. "Especially when I you see me with my older twin brother. He is the athletic one between the two of us. I'm the book-ish twin."

"I've got twin brothers myself. They're the pranksters in the family." Ron nodded in agreement. He knew these woods just as well as he knew the back of his hand—every root, ditch and tree; he'd grown up in it after all! "I'm turning seventeen in a couple of moons myself. A bit late for marrying age here in these parts but I was waiting for my bride to finally turn sixteen!"

Harry would have laughed if he wasn't in another riff. It was obvious that the forest recognized his magical signature; he felt the wards shift dramatically since they entered this morning. It was trying to draw him in with an annoying buzzing at the back of his head.

"Mate?" Ron's voice drifted back into his ears. It snapped him back to reality. This was the present and he was currently attempting to wrestle-free from the vines. He was tempted to spell the blasted crops away but his books from the castle suggested that it was a bad idea. He chocked a response.

Elemental Magic was one of the purest forms in the world. They cannot be altered, tampered or changed in any way. It protected itself well, casting wards and incapacitating magic within what it thought of was sacred territory; hence the reason why Moon Flowers were harvested by hand. They passed the barrier not long ago.

"Back here. Vines. Foot." Harry managed to choke out as he attempted to pry his captured foot from the aggressive greens. This was harder than it seemed. He often walked through the forest of Gryffindor before, at least the part with was within the castle walls, and never had he been attacked by anything. Perhaps it was because _those_ forests regocnized him as part of the royal family.

This was a difficult situation.

"Here, use this!" Ron called out, throwing a knife to Harry. The blade was well-aimed, severing a few centimeters of the brunette's fringe just before embedding on the bark behind him. The boy was too slow too react. If he had moved even an inch, the sharp edge would have cut him.

Harry laughed a nervous laugh before pulling the tool away from its nestling place. "Thanks uhm… Ron" He managed to say from behind shaking teeth. That was close, too close than he would have liked. Slowly but surely, he began cutting at the vein trapping his leg. He felt the tinge of magic ripple up his hand as the tree responded to him.

"Let go of my leg and I promise to stop." He whispered, stroking the hard wood with his back turned to Ron. Not everyone talked to plants, he wasn't sure if the red-head would understand what he was doing. For now, he didn't want to break anymore of this village's customs. "I know it hurts but you left me no choice. Please let go of my leg."

This time the ancient tree heard him and carefully the knot around his ankles loosened. He smiled triumphantly before turning back to his companion.

"You cut it?" Ron's inquiry came from not so far away. The boy had managed to stay exactly where he was, a couple of meters away. Harry gaped at the realization. The knife was thrown _that_ far away? It was a difficult feet to master. Slowly he shook his head.

"Didn't need to cut it" He said gently, motioning to the unmarred roots which had previously held him captive. "Skinny leg and bony ankles aren't really the best buggers to hold on to." He said in jest, hoping that the other would simply nod it off. Thankfully Ron did. "Slipped right out"

The pair continued to walk in relative silence with a couple more mishaps happening to Harry. He got bruised knuckles, sore ankles and a gash on the side of his arm before Ron took pity and asked to a rest stop. Draco and Theo were no where in sight. They were probably deeper into the forest now as Ron explained.

"Sorry for being a big bother" Harry finally sighed in as they sat on two big boulders. "You're probably mighty pissed now, aren't you? Stuck here baby-watching me." He shifted from one side to another as Ron tied the last know on the make-shift bandage. It was a ripped seam from the brunette's shirt, well Draco's shirt which was a bit loose.

"Nah" Ron replied good-heartedly, securing the loose ends with a sticky substance. In a matter of seconds the mysterious liquid solidified, making the bandages look more authentic. "There ya go, should last us the night before we need to send you back to Pomfrey in the morning."

Harry said thanks for the ninth time that evening. They sad a good distance from the edge of the forest where they began. They could no longer see the opening from here. It was heavily covered with several kinds of trees, plants and flowers. So far no creature has yet crossed their path. Harry looked down at the hardened shell coating his arm.

"What is it?" He asked speculatively, touching the slightly warm casing with a finger. It was a peculiar material, definitely enchanted but with which specific properties baffled him. It was something which had never crossed his path before. Curiosity sparkled within him; the fatigue momentarily forgotten along with his aching muscles.

"Special concoction by my special lady" Ron explained with a smile, bringing out the small round corked purple bottle from his hand. "Created it herself two years back when I started participating in the harvesting; came back with a bloody leg in a poorly made splint, nearly lost my life that day too. She gave me this little bottle which she sent with her love."

Ron put the bottle back into his pouch before continuing. "—told my brother it was for injuries, knowing how accident prone I am, and said to cast my leg the following day. Coats the muscle in a warm cocoon and helps it heal without much help. Something about blood and the body's natural immune system… don't know much about that gibberish. I'm a wizard, ya know? Don't do much of that muggle medicine thing. Her stuff's only good for first air though."

Harry touched the mysterious solid covering his arm again but said nothing. He listened to Ron's chatter quietly. A big part of him couldn't wait to learn who this interesting witch was. Especially knowing how young she was. She would be a great asset in his kingdom if he could persuade him to return with him. But that was assuming he could ever return to his kingdom. He shook his hear inwardly—he needed to return and help his brother.

"You still there mate?" Ron's voice brought him back to reality once more. It was the second time the red-head caught him with his mind in the clouds. He blushed and gave a lopsided grin in apology. "Sorry must be boring you, ya? Bit of a chatter mouth I am, you see. I can't help it. Growing up with five older brothers, it's kind of hard to be quiet. They'll pick on you if you are… I'm doing it again, aren't I?"

Instead of nodding, Harry couldn't help a chuckle bubble up from his lips. "That's all right. Kinda—refreshing actually; to be honest, my home was—not a very loud place. It's kind of nice to have someone like you around to talk to. Your family must be awfully nice, aren't they?"

"Yeah" Ron nodded, shifting more comfortably on his rock. "They are. Noisy bunch of buggers though; mum always nagging, dad always jittering about the newest muggle thing-a-magigs that he can get his hands on, there's my brothers then my bratty little sister; but they _are_mi' family after all. I can't have them any other way."

Ron gave a round of sniggers after that while Harry found himself joining in on the jest as well. Their laughter resounded through the alcove of bended branches over them. Leaves swayed around, looking as if they were trying to laugh as well.

"Shall we get going then? The night won't last forever, ya know." With a light-hearted grumble, Harry stood then nodded before following Ron once more. "Cheer up mate, harvesting is fun once you get the hang of it!"

"Yeah… " Harry muttered. "Fun"

. . .

Serenity and calm—those were the perfect words to describe this magnificent day in Gryffindor. The sky was a tranquil color of blue, clouds barely dotting the heavens to give the sun ample space to smile brightly on the townspeople. Everyone was greeting each other peasantries, smiling and laughing. It was a far cry from the overcast atmosphere inside the castle where the king and queen were anxiously waiting.

"_Master James, my King! Mistress Lily, my queen! Youngest master, his highness, Young Prince Harry is being gone—he was being pulled into a wormhole your highnesses. He is being gone!" _The words of the messenger still echoed through the now eerie hall of the castle. The once warm gray stone felt cold and ashen.

The three nights ago Dominique, Prince Harry's coachman, came running through the castle doors—bloody, muddy and distraught. He brought the royal couple the gravest news they ever anticipated; the younger Prince Harry was sucked into a wormhole, his whereabouts no longer known. He left no trace when he disappeared, no marks or any sort of tell-tale sign of his destination. The king and queen feared for the worst.

The people were kept in the dark about the tragic events. Until the matter is resolved, it will remain so. King James ordered patrols to scatter across the grounds of Gryffindor. But he could not risk his seers, they were already foretelling their elder son's future; it was best to keep the crowned prince's interests first. Evan too was not informed of his younger brother's disappearance.

Lily was in Harry's chambers, holding onto a life-size Dandie Dinmont Terrier which was a very small dog with silky fur. She sat on Harry's bed, on top of the dark midnight blue sheets. The room smelled like Harry, felt like Harry because it was Harry's. It didn't help ease her grief. On top of the bedside table was parchment and a quill—Harry's writing scrawled on the paper.

_Tomorrow_, it said as Lily began reading the passage.

_I shall look for a bride in my godfather's kingdom, the land called Slytherin. It had been many springs since my last visit. It is the farthest land from Gryffindor, beyond Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, home to what I have yet to understand. It will take me a several full-moons to reach it. It is a long time, a period in my life which I shall use for self-discovery. I am still so uncertain of what may come. So many questions have yet to be answered. So much knowledge I have yet to learn. I fear that I cannot serve my full-duties without the wisdom I have yet to earn. _

"Lily?" A voice called from the slightly ajar door before she could continue reading. "Are you in Harry's room again?" The voice of her husband resounded in her mind like a calming draught.

"Yes" she barely answered, the tremors in her voice making it evident that she was about to cry, She could not hold it as James appeared before her. A apprehensive expression on his face as he crouched in front of her.

"Pray, my darling, tell me what makes your heart cry so?" He asked gently; bring his tanned calloused fingers to cover Lily's shivering ones. The queen barely realized that her hands were shaking and her body was quivering with anxiety.

"James" she sobbed, letting the strangled sound escape her throat. "—my baby… my poor baby. Gone." It was the only broken phrases she could utter before completely collapsing into tears, wrapping her arms around her husband's broad shoulders—clinging to him like a lifeline.

"My youngest son, my baby, Harry is missing" she wailed quietly onto his shoulder, wetting his sleeves with tears that streaked her face. The length of her body shook and trembled with emotions. "My bady is gone. Harry is gone. I tried, James. I tried… I tried to track him but I couldn't. I was blocked. My mind couldn't reach him. I tried to very hard. I called and called and called out for him, James—Harry is gone. My poor baby is gone."

The king could do nothing by hold his wife tenderly in a loose embrace as she clung to him. She uttered hysterical twaddle; repetitive, useless and sometimes in audible words but he let her continued. He cooed her until she was quiet before whispering the words "I know" softly into her ear.

"But we will find him" He assured her, gripping into her almost painfully for a second. "Harry is not dead. I believe he is alive, Lily. I can still feel part of him. It is week but that can be due to a lot of things. He may just be too far away… Lily, please keep hope that our son will return."

Lily nodded weakly in his arms—worn out from the crying, the stress and the worry which was clouding her usually sound judgment. She was a queen first than a mother and sometimes she forgot that. She was raised with this knowledge but the sadness in her heart still yearned for her lost son.

"Sleep now Lily" James whispered to her tenderly. He held her closer, lifting her up with ease onto his chest. The toy she had on her lap fell towards the floor. It tumbled down her skirt and below the mattress."On the morrow, we shall hear news from the patrols. Harry will be found. I promise."

"Okay." Lily murmured against his jaw in response. "Love you, James"

"I love you too, Lily, my love. Now sleep for me darling. I can sense how fatigued your body is, how tired you mind is and how sadness is ebbing away at you loving heart. Sleep darling. We will find him."

As the queen was lifted into James' arms, the piece of parchment which she held was forgotten. Her grip loosened and it fell to the floor, floating for a few seconds before landing on the ground. It landed beside the small dog she previously clutched in hand. The latter part of Harry's notes remain unread.

_I do not know what awaits me on my travels. Perhaps I shall see the enlightenment which I seek. Perhaps I shall find the bride who my mind will accept and my heart will cherish. But alas, I do not hold any heightened hopes for my destined one. My title as prince, as honorable as it is, is a heavy burden to carry for any woman. I fear they will not see me as 'Harry', and love me as I am, but solely see the younger prince of Gryffindor in front of them. I wish to find someone who will cast royalties a side and stand with me not behind me—a bride unafraid to speak her opinions, unafraid to challenge my decisions and go against my action when I am at fault. I, too, need someone to keep me leveled with reality as I will do so for my brother. _

. . .

"—but my lady is a clever one, she invented the thing bandaging your arm, remember? She not yet my fiancée though. I plan on asking her on before the great harvest. I'm pretty sure that she's expecting my proposal any time now. We have an understanding already, you see? Sort of like a mutual infatuation since we were children. I guess both are parents were already itching for us to tie the knot but, hey, some things need time, ya?"

It was like this for the past hour—hour and a half—Harry really couldn't keep track anymore. His entire body was aching, his throat was a bit sore and his wounds were beginning to sting. He and Ron had caught up Theo and Draco minutes ago in a small densely covered part of the forest were several kinds and types of plants were breeding.

Ron, who welcomed the new formed friendship with Harry, was chattering away about his lady for the good part of their stay. He had talked about his family from the boulders until they reached their current location. Harry was happy for the distraction which kept his thoughts from straying to the drastic changes in magic surrounding him.

Ron was the friendliest face among his three present companions. Draco was seriously picking moon flowers from nearby root crops and Theo was showing of his skills in the trees above. Ever so often he would call for Draco to look up and catch a gentle glowing bubble with held a few perfectly ripe moon flowers.

"I never really go to ask" Ron suddenly quipped from behind Harry and effectively starling the brunette who was still earnestly trying to make out the faint tint of blue which contained the moon flowers. The other gave a grunt of acknowledgement urging him to continue. "How did you get your scar?"

Harry froze. His hands grew very still and his breathing grew very deep. It took him a moment before he could answer. "Which scar?" He asked, feigning naivety. He turned to Ron, flashing the most innocent expression he could muster.

"That scar" Ron confirmed, pointing to the lighting bolt scar just below Harry's fringe on the right side of his forehead. By this time, the boy had also managed to capture Draco's attention. It made the blonde head turn to look at them suspiciously, raising an eyebrow before returning to work—though, he kept a meticulous eye on them under his bangs. "How did you get it?"

"An accident" Harry replied in a voice which implied that he did not wish to continue. He regained his momentum in looking for the blasted blue tinted anything! The scar meant much more to him than anyone on the outside knew. The scar meant that we would serve under his brother. But Ron was stubborn and persistent.

"What accident? Did you fall down a tree? Stairs maybe? Or a broom?"

Harry shook his head and flashed Ron an apathetic look. "It was a dueling accident when I was seven. I lapsed in concentration, forgot my foot works, lost my balance and had a miscalculated judgment. The scar is a mark of my weakness."

For a moment, everything was quiet; time seemed to trickle away.

"Was is spells then? A fist fight?" Ron efficiently broke the dragging silence with befell them. Draco was partially doing his work and partially listening in on the conversation. He too was interested about the strange brunette's background. Harry found the boy's innocent curiosity amusing so he entertained the questions.

"Swords actually" Harry said nonchalantly, tossing the answer to Ron in good jest. Theo had swooped to the ground just in time to catch Draco staring dreamily over the foreign man and hear the brunette's last two words. He cut in before Ron could utter the next question.

"So you know how to fight, eh Harry?" His voice was bordered with venom as he unclasped the rope around his waist. This was the man who was trying to steal his fiancé away and he would not just sit on the sidelines watching it happen. The show off! Declaring in front of Draco that he would wield weaponry! He can ply arms better than any old man!

"Theo!" He could hear Draco's protesting in the background but his mind was too clouded with envy. How dare this man! That scrawny man is not worthy of the blonde's affections—only he is! He gritted his teeth when the brunette cast mock surprise—ohh the man was expecting it. "What in Merlin's great beard are jabbering about?"

He turned to Draco in with the pleasantest face he could muster. "Draco, love, I'm doing nothing of bad nature… I am simply trying to make amends for my earlier behavior towards are friend here—" he shot Harry a quick look "—and I do believe that he quite enjoys a bit of brutish battle. So what do you say, old man, fancy giving me a spin?"

Harry stood frozen on the spot, unsure of what to do. Fighting Theo would risk his identity but not righting the boy could mean all sorts of disrespect as well. He was challenged to a duel and as he was brought up—that was never a wise decision.

'Think Harry' he told himself. 'There are two kinds of duels; one which physical sword fighting and the other using magic and spells. Theo wants the sword fight and that entails the use of your upper arms. You're injured. You're in no condition for a fair fight! There! That's it.'

He coughed before saying "I'm afraid I must bid thee great apologies, Theo. My recent injury prevents me from participating in such straining acts. I fear I must recover first, especially if a good man like you want a level and honest fight; am I right in my assumptions?" Okay, so he added the last part just to spite the teen. He couldn't help it really, it was just too bullocks of fun.

From his positions across the area, he could see the boy's ears glowing red and teeth gritting behind closed lips. "Very well, Harry. Perhaps on the morrow then? A night is surely sufficient enough to rid you of your sore muscles." He tried to speak as evenly as he could, hiding the irritation from his tone. "I suppose your old muscles can't take the strain, ya?"

It was Harry's turn to fume but he hid it well. Instead he put on the face which was usually reserved for the most annoying diplomats during castle functions. It was a close lipped smile which evidently covered his eyes. Theo was even more pissed at the lack of a retort.

Ron was quick to strike a jest before the pregnant silence fell again. "Woah! Keep your fiancé on the leash Draco; frisky guy ain't he? He's too energetic for he's own good; sort makes him look like a berk if I do say so. Now even he's getting Harry into trouble and the blonde hasn't even been here two full-moons!"

With that all three men laughed, except for Draco who immediately sent Ron daggers through those angry silver eyes. A series of opposing statements ensued. "Oh knackers Ron! I beg to differ! He isn't my fiancé. I haven't decided on yet! You have absofuckinglutely know nothing about what you are saying!" He blushed furiously trying to reverse the red-head's earlier statement.

"Hold it, Malfoy. I was merely trying to jest; nothing serious." Ron held out his hands in mock surrender at the fuming boy. "Lucky for ye that Theo is up clipping in the branches, aren't ya? If someone was just passing by I bet they'd really believe that you didn't want to marry the bloke! Maybe Pansy's more yer type, no?"

Draco cursed under his breath, trying to suppress the urge to strangle that freckled neck with his bare hands. Never in his life as he been so, so—frustrated! He knew Ron was right but he will not admit it aloud; before the strange man entered his life, he would have brushed off the comment like it was nothing—like it was the inevitable.

'Has my life always been to routine?'

Everyday he would wake up, visit Severous, go to the fields and share his breakfast with Pansy, be home before lunch to help with lunch, in the afternoon he would start preparing for the harvest with Theo and the others, break for dinner then into the forest if it was the full-moon. Was it always that monotonous? While he was trapped in thoughts, another conversation was happening unnoticed.

"Fiancé, you say?" Harry asked Ron with a quirked eyebrow, hoping that his charming friend would talk about it. He certainly had a strange feeling between the pair from last night's dinner and now his suspicions were about to be clarified. There was little talk about it the previous night, probably due to his intrusion, but he caught glimpses of it.

"A bit of a gag really" Ron began chattering away. "It's been going on since we were kids… you see, the lucky young blonde over there, was promised over by not one but two people when we were children; one of them being Theo. Since then it's been a race for his affections. He's supposed to finally give his decision on his sixteenth birthday and that's after the Moon Festival this year. But I don't know, seems like Theo has the upper hand as of late"

"Oh" Harry mouthed. "—and what's a Pansy?"

"Ahh!" Ron grinned like the wise lad that he is. "Pansy is the other one. She's nearly sixteen as well. In fact she was the first one to uh… let's just say propose to Draco. She came up to him one day and told him in a matter-of-fact voice. 'Draco is going to marry me when I am sixteen!' she said then the two of them were battling for Draco's attention ever since!"

"So Draco's isn't really _betrothed _?" Harry was careful with his choice of words knowing fully well that 'to be promised' and 'to be betrothed' were two completely different matters.

It took Ron a few moments before nodding. "Yer right. Draco's not betrothed _yet _just promised for. Though, keep mind of the _yet_, Harry. The whole town's been anticipating his bonding with Theo for as long as I can remember! If I could play a little devil I would say that YOU were interested in courting Draco as well!"

Harry shook his head, too fast than was necessary. He really didn't mean to come off as well interested. He was merely curious, that's all. He kept telling that to himself. He was a learner; he just wanted to know such things. It was his nature—to be curious.

It was too bad for him that once again Theo only hear the latter part of their conversation.

. . .

**Author's notes: **

Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I have been a bad Authoress. I haven't updated this in ages!

Anyhow. Nothing was too eventful in this chapter; except for Ron and Harry building a friendship, rising tension between Theo and Harry, plus if you looked really closely a few hint that Draco and Harry are getting there.

In the next chapter be ready to meet the Weasley Family, our lovable Hermione and of course Pansy. Maybe some of the familiar characters would show up in the later chapters. The Weasleys were supposed to be here but I'm at the page limit so I'll have them for the next installment.

Review if you like! I hope you had fun reading.

-Arh

On another note, please do read my other works as well;  
**Return to the Platform  
A long way from Surrey  
31 Days  
Falling in Love with the Rain**

June 01 2010


	5. Memory Untold

05

. . .

"Has there been any news of late?" The question was addressed to the King while he sat with his wife around the open furnace. A face was amongst the embers, forming that of a man with a slightly bearded jaw and piercing dark eyes. His expression showed seriousness yet his eyes expressed that of concern.

"I'm afraid not Sirius." James frowned, looking over at his oldest friend the King of Slytherin. Though kingdoms away with month of travel between them, they had forged a bond nearing brotherhood since they were tots. Behind him was the Queen's soft wail as she clutched a plush toy near her heart. "None of my men have found any traces of the younger Prince"

Sirius Black was a man of many things. Despite his brutish appearance and the grim persona which his kingdom was known for, he was a very loving man. He cared dearly for his youngest godsons. "Have you sent word to the crowned prince about his brother's disappearance?"

James shook his head. "We've decided not to put further tension on our eldest son's shoulders. He should focus more on looking for a bride with Queen Rowena and the moment."

"Always a man of clever judgment, aren't you James?" A man entered the small flames, his lover. "Good evening James, Lily" The new mad greeted with familiarity.

Lily merely stifled. "Forgive the Queen, Lupin. My wife is still gravely grieving over Harry's disappearance." The King apologized for the lack of respects from his wife. The pair in the fires smiled with understanding. He was grateful for this. "Good for you to join us Remus. I trust that your pregnancy is doing well? I hope that this tragedy is not straining you."

The pair beamed at the King's courtesies. One could see shifting in flares as Sirius moved around to wrap an arm around his husband's pregnant belly protectively. Remus smiled tenderly while receiving a kiss on the cheek. "We're feeling great James!" The Slytherin King boasted with a wide prideful grin. "My strong wolf is carrying my pups to full term!"

Remus visibly blushed and confirmed it. "I'm feeling absolutely fantastic, James. Thank you for asking. Having the pups are amazing! They kick like sneaky little devils, do they! It's just a few more months before I finally squeeze the rascals out."

James laughed a deep chuckle along with the two other men. Lily, now recovering slightly from the joyous news about their close friend's pregnancy, had a smile on her face as she joined her husband. "That's brilliant news, Remus!" she said brightly, giving the three men a flash of the queen's previous ambiance.

"Yes. Yes. Thank you Lily, James." But Remus' tone suddenly became darkened and serious as he looked toward the distraught couple. "On more serious terms, I'm afraid I simply did not join my husband's firecall for convenience. I'd like to speak to you about other possibly solutions to the Harry's disappearance."

The Gryffindor pair's features darkened but nonetheless they remained placid. "Proceed Remus, if you please" the king said in a flat tone. If one knew James, they would immediately recognize that the man was merely trying to hide his pain. One of his hands gripped his wife's shoulders and Lily placed her hand over his affectionately.

"Perhaps you should consult with greater powers James?" The King cocked an eyebrow and nodded. "Centaurs have always been one with the nature of the universe. Perhaps if you ask them for their aid, they might help you with your search."

"Remus… you know Gryffindors is not in the best terms with these creatures." James gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. "They have nothing to do with the prince. His safety is none of their concern. What makes you think that they would help us?"

"James…" Remus tried to negotiate. There was something he needed to say but he couldn't say. It was not yet the time to reveal the boy's destiny. "Harry is a great concern of theirs, trust me on this. Their mages will tell you what even the most powerful of your seers cannot. They can read the stars, forces and massages that we, humans, are unable to understand."

"Remus, you don't know what you're asking me to do." James said weakly, Lily clutched to his side tightly.

"I believe he is asking for your trust my dear friend." Sirius cut in, easing the tension before the situation grew more intense than any of them would have liked. "I am asking you for your trust in my husband as you have for me. We've been friends since before we could walk, James. You are more a brother to me than anything in this world. Please, I ask you to forward that trust you have to my husband."

There was a heavy silence the surrounded the room until James finally spoke. "Alright" It was softly spoken. "Show me were they are"

. . .

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" a shrill came from the crowd when they finally returned to the village the following morning. The sun was already high up in the sky, casting the mid-morning sunlight. They were the last group to return, partly due to Harry's lack of balance and mildly because the forest kept of trapping him with vines. Luckily for the brunette, his companions were unaware of it.

"Do you have any idea how Hermione's been worrying sick about you the whole morning!" The voice came from a small female red-head, a similar shade to Ron's, as she walked past the crowd and quickly stepped towards the four males. "Melin if I hear another 'I wonder if he's alright' from her, I swear to you that I will go nutters! She sighs every five minute—oh!"

She gasped as she saw the covered gash on Harry's arm. "Oh my! Quickly we must get you to Hermione!" She rushed towards Harry, gushing over his injury without paying much attention to the rest of the group. "No wonder it took you so long to come back here! Are you hurt anywhere else? Arms? Legs? Sides?"

"We're alright, Ginny. Thank you for the corner." Ron muttered sarcastically from behind her. "The man's tougher then he looks. He'll survive until he gets to Pomfrey. I patched him up real good with some of the stuff that Hermione's been giving me; Just a cut on the arm, nothing fatal except for blood loss, ay Harry?"

Harry mumbled something incoherent and simply nodded. "Thanks… ?"

"Oh!" Ron seemed to realize the lack of introductions. "My bad; this here is my little sister Geneva Weasley. We mostly call her Ginny. She's named after are aunt you see that's a bit in the nutters. She lives up to the name ya? Ow!" He was cut off with an elbow to the ribs by the said female.

Ginny was a head shorted than them; slender in build and petite. Her long ginger red hair was tied back in a high ponytail, straight with a bit of curl at the ends. She wore a dainty lavender colored dress, almost to her ankles. "She's the youngest in the family. A bit of a brat, really."

"Ronald!" As she snapped at her brother with a fierce tone, she unconsciously gripped Harry's arm. The pressure on his wound made him flinch. "Sorry. I have a bit of trouble, controlling my temper you see…" she tried explaining. Harry gave her a weak smile of reassurance but retracted his arm for safe measure.

"Oh hush Gin! I was merely poking a bit of fun to lighten up the morning." Ron chuckled a bit a he led them towards the medicine cottage. "By the way Gin, have you seen my lovely lady this morning? She hasn't greeted me my welcoming kiss yet" He stated with a cheeky lopsided grin but his sister only huffed.

Magic whirled around Harry as they passed the final barrier and it felt like an avalanche being released while he was at the receiving end. Each would felt like it was on fire, searing at his skin and threatening to burn him from the inside out. Something was fighting with his magic but he couldn't identity what it was. The world began spinning, his sighting blurring into a whirlpool of colors. On instinct, he reached out for the nearest object for support—it turned out to be Draco's robes.

"What the bloody…?" But before Draco could end the sentence, he caught sight of the impossibly pale man withering beside him. The brunette clutched his robes like a lifeline; veins were visible under pale skin and sweat shone like a second skin.

"Harry!" He yelled but gained no response. "Harry, are you alight?" Meanwhile behind them the two bantering siblings were ignorant of the recent events. Theo was still in the forest, insisting that they gathered only a scarce amount of moon flowers. Draco cursed quietly, hearing the brunette's labored breathing.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you Ronald!" She scolded whist carefully peering at Harry's other wounds and scratches. "Poppy has gone off into another village, tending to a gravely ill child. She says she has to stay there for the rest of the harvest but will return before the next harvest. You know we can't possibly celebrate without her, ya? She left Hermione her duties for the time. So you better get your sorry bullocks over here and get this fine young man to _your lady_." She huffed. "I mean honestly Ron! You still haven't popped the question!"

"I am planning on bloody proposing, alright?" Ron raised his voice to match Ginny's. The young girl climbed to her tip toes, barely reaching his immense height, trying to challenge him. He gritted his teeth as her arrogance with eyes blazing with fury. "I'm just waiting for the right bloody time!"

The brunette wasn't responding to any of the blonde's ministrations. His shallow breathing continued, lungs barely filling with enough air which made his lips slightly blue. "Harry! Harry!" Draco kept chanting over and over again while his fingers ghosted over clammy skin. He pressed his lips, features screaming agitation. "Come on bloody hell wake up!"

"Time! You want time, Ronald?" Ginny mocked, inching up as high as possibly. Her hands were clenching on her sides, implying the will to hit her bother—desperately. "You say you want _bloody _time? You've had ten years. Yes, Ron, _ten years_ worth of time! How long do you plan on making her wait? You've been promised since you were children! She _wants _to marry you, Ron! Are you too big of a stupid fool to see that?"

Ron was taken back, unsure of how to react to his sister's accusation. "I.. I.. uhm…" He swallowed hard. Ginny pressed forward, taking a step as she leered menacingly towards her the taller man.

"YOU will bloody get your large but utterly imbecilic bollocks here and help me bring Harry to your _lady_! You might be willing to waste your sweet bloody time waiting for the right moment to propose to her but I will not let you two fools waste any more time before we save Harry!" Draco burst out, ripping the tearing the pair away with his uproar. It was rare to see him this irritated. The two were immediately followed.

. . .

"What in Merlin's name is this, Ronald?" Hermione gasped as she saw the impossibly pale man propped on Ron's shoulder like a heavy, very heavy bag of potatoes. Draco was beside them carrying Harry's had on one shoulder and assisting the brunette's limp head from bouncing all over the place. Ginny was a few paces away, with Ron's bad of moon flowers on her shoulder. Slowly she gave Hermione a weak wave before they were ambushed by questions.

"The first time I see you the whole bloody morning and you give me this! Honestly Ronald, how do you suppose I'd marry you" She let out an exasperated sigh before quickly blushing at her own improper comment. "I…I…" she began at a loss of words and merely pointed them to the direction of the cottage "I suppose I should get a look at him now. All of you please leave." The three nodded obediently before heading out the door.

Once outside, Ginny stopped in front of her older brother saying with a gleeful smile "You don't think he's betrothed, is he, Ron?" She asked carefully, bringing her hands behind her back in a display of youthful innocence. "I mean, he's very young looking and valiant! No one's taking a liking to me as of late, you don't suppose that he might?" She looked up at him hopefully. "He might be a stranger and all but we could get know each other… maybe I should go inside and check on him?"

Ron blinked once, twice, three times in total at the number of his sister's questions. She said them to fast and way too close together for him to give a reply. "Hold on there, Ginny. First off, he isn't as young as he looks. You'd be surprised at his actually age. He is nearly seven years older then you! No way in hell that I would let him take you as his bride!"

"But Ronald…!"

"Ah—no words Ginny, let me finish. Second of all, he might not be betrothed but surely mom and dad will have something to say about marrying outside of the village! It rarely happens that the moon festival blesses that type of couples. Thirdly; you are so, so very young Ginny. Barely the age of fourteen and you are already thinking about marriage! You still have yet to bloom. Trust me, you're my sister, the same blood flows in your veins and I know that someday somebody will realize how pretty you're growing up to be"

"Thanks Ron." Ginny replied with a small smile before punching his injured arm. "You know, you aren't half-bad as a big brother when you try to be." She patted him on the back tenderly before returning the harvesting back, which she carried on one shoulder, back to him. "I think I best get going now. Mum's expecting you to bring Hermioine with you for lunch so she's making extra. You know how she cooks…" she said in jest "She'll need all the helping hands that she can get!"

"Sorry about that Draco" Ron gave an apologetic look to the frightened young man. "I didn't mean to forget you were there… it's just family, ya know? We can get distracted sometimes." He shrugged but continued anyway. "I heard that you found him half-dead in the woods, ya? I won't assume you'd be willing to share how exactly you found him?"

Draco gave a weak smile but nodded. "I was out for a ride Theo in the forest when I suddenly felt being draw into the path we normally don't take because of all the rubbles. It was like he was calling to me, ya know? I could just _sense _him—well, I didn't know it was him but I knew that I could sense something. So I followed it. Then I saw him. He was on the gravel nearly bleeding to death. I just…felt like I needed to help him or else he would die…"

The door of the cottage creaked open. Naturally both boys waiting outside turned around. They were met by Hermione's tired looking eyes. She rubbed her hands as if trying to warm them and walked towards the two boys. She gave Ron a fast glare before turning tenderly to Draco.

"How is he?" The blonde lad asked gingerly. The normally aloof silvers eyes looked into Hermione's brown ones. It was the first time in a very long time that Hermione witnessed such high level of concern in Draco's eyes. "Is the bloody git going to be alright?" despite the tone and cursing that came, they both knew that the boy was worried. Hermione sighed and gently squeezed Draco's shoulder for assurance.

"He's going to be perfectly fine, Draco. You don't need to worry too much. He's merely tired from the harvesting, I infer." She explained, giving him one of her best 'it's going to be fine' smiles. "Though there is something I find quite peculiar. He's sustained a number of injuries—not just cuts and bruises but he managed to survive in the enchanted forest. It looks like the forest was keen on capturing him for unknown reasons. I saw several marks of scratches that appeared to be from thorns and some of them slightly gooey from poison. But Harry doesn't seem to be affected by it at all!"

"Quite an extraordinary fella, I say!" Ron remarked in attempts to lighten the conversation. It was good that both Hermione and Draco responded with chuckles. "Right, now then. How about we get you back to the burrow?" He offered, whilst wrapping an arm around Hermione's waist in a rare share of unabashed affection to which she reacted with a girlish giggle and a fierce blush. "Mom's been nagging me the whole morning—Ginny too actually—to bring you over for lunch with the family!"

"Oh—how could I?" She managed to choke out despite the redness of her cheeks. "I've got a patient in the medical cottage! I cannot possibly think of leaving, Ron" She said half-heartedly, slowly moving her hands to the arm Ron had wrapped around her. "Since Pomfrey is away, I need to see to him in case anything happens…" To this Ron's smile also faded away. He's been looking forward to having Hermione over for lunch with the family. Both her parents would be there as well as a surprise.

"I could look after him." Draco offered with a smile. "It's my fault since I brought him to the village any way." He explained, slightly playing with his hands in anticipation. "I could firecall the burrow any time if Harry were to need your attention. Besides, I'm fairly capable to handling his potions for a few short hours. Severus has been training me as an apprentice." The last part he said more with pride rather than to convince but it worked. Hermione thanked him with a smile.

"Here" she said, giving him a vial of light pink potion. "It's to help his strength when he wakes up. Make sure he drinks it after he's eaten a proper meal, understand?" Draco nodded. "There are plenty of supplies inside the cottage, all magically replenishing if stocks were to run out so you won't have to worry about food. There's water and ale near the bedside. The cauldron is brewing stew and not potions, so you can also give Harry some of that…"

Draco held a pale hand to Hermione's face. "Heavens woman, you are beginning to sound like Pomfrey! Now get your hinny going before Molly's lamb pie gets cold!" He said in jest, shooing away the ever-perfectionist Granger and a thankful looking Ron. He sighed; alone in a cottage with Harry again—was his life ever going to get easier? With another sigh, he hooked Harry's harvest bag on one shoulder and headed for the cottage.

The inside of the cottage was fairly bigger than it looked on the outside—as did most of the cottages in their village; the Weasley's especially, made use of this space-widening type of spells to accommodate their growing household. What greeted him was the sight of three beds merely separated by drapes, two of them were draw and only a single one was open. He made his way the one farthest into the cottage. There he saw Harry's pale figure steadily breathing shallow breaths.

Putting the bag down, he reached for the nearest stool and took seat by Harry's stomach. "Hello stranger" he found himself whispering while a hand gently brushed away strands of damp hair sticking to Harry's forehead. He looked deathly pale, Draco's breath hitched, much the time when he was in the forest—nearly a week ago. "Why do you have to be insufferably weak, you stupid git, you're making me worry…" he sighed, letting his head fall beside Harry.

Draco felt very sleep now. He had been tired early this morning because of last night's events. Theo had needlessly bantered with Harry for a majority of the evening by making rude comments and snide remarks unnecessarily. Further aggravated by ale, it progressed well into down before the man finally dozed off. Harry even helped the poor man to bed before seeing Draco off to his own bedroom…

_Flashback_

_A soft knock on wood broke Draco from his train of thought. _

"_Hey" Harry called softly from the doorway, leaning slightly on the door with a shoulder. He showed Draco one of his asymmetrical smile—half in apology and the other comfort. "You look tired" he whispered almost in audibly trying not to wake the sleeping man upstairs. The stone floors gently 'thudded' with his footsteps as he moved closer. _

"_Let me help" he offered, pointing to the loads of dishes currently for cleaning. Pots and pans cluttered the medium-sized sink covered in sauces, burn meat and fruit peelings. The dutiful lad moved beside the blonde, reaching for the spare apron on the counter and wrapping it around his waist as he did. His hands still showed some signs of his accident which left a lot of visible scratches. _

"_No…" Draco protested, pushing the hand away. "My mother will be back to help me in a few minutes." _

_The brunette simply lifted an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked playfully before gesturing the younger lad towards the open window. Outside were Narcissa and Lucius, gleefully playing a game of cat-and-mouse like a bunch of teens—they were only in their thirties and the spirit of youth was still kindling from them. "I doubt that she'll remember you anytime soon…" he commented with a smug grin. _

"_Oh alright, you, you, you—git" Draco blurted out for the lack of a better word, cheeks puffing out and coloring red in embarrassment soon after. "You can help. I'll clean and you dry" he said, dividing up the labor between both of them and shoving a thick cloth to the brunette. Silently, he was thankful for the companionship and help which the other offered. They worked for a considerate amount of time in harmony. _

"_I normally finish up early, ya know" Draco spoke up halfway through the task. "It's just that…" he grew quiet, finding himself at a loss of words. He thought about how to phrase his next few words politely. _

"_You normally don't have quite so much mouths to feed, ya?" Harry finished for him. _

"_Yes!" the blonde gave his companion a nod "Quite often it's just the three of us. Theo isn't really a—how to say this?—gracious visitor. He keeps pestering mi' parents about marriage and such nonsense ever since we were kids, ya know? … Oh my…" Draco suddenly paused, cursing "I've said too much, haven't I? I'm sorry. Was I being rude?" _

_Harry shook his head. "No, no. I appreciate quite a bit of chatter while at work—it's refreshing from the way it is at home." _

"_It's very bothersome. Hence I make it a point to rarely seek his companionship at home" Draco followed with a chuckle. _

"_And what do your parents say?" _

"_About what?" _

"_About… Theo's… you know…proposals" Harry said, slowly trying not to offend the lad. He drew in a deep breath, hands also pausing involuntarily, as he waited for Draco's answer. _

"_Father hasn't said anything about it, really. He believes that unless the proposal is made under the power of the moon festival, it isn't a true proposal. My mother on the other hand doesn't seem to approve of Theo sometimes boorish behavior. He can't help it, really. Being brought up in a family of hunters would do that to you. But he isn't all bad. He can be quite a gentleman when he wants to be."_

"_Oh" the brunette whispered. Harry was moderately disappointed by the latter part of Draco's spiel. "And what about you? How do you feel about it?"_

"_I…well…" once again Draco was at a loss of words "I guess it fells common to be now. I mean… he's been asking for so long…" He watched at the other's hands stopped moving once more. _

"_But what do you __**feel**__ about it?" Harry pressed "Do you __**want **__to marry, Theo?" _

"_I…uhm…" breathes deeply "I suppose…" _

"_You suppose?" _

"_I suppose…it could be a possibility that I marry him." _

"_Yes, yes. But do you __**want **__to?" _

"_I used to think so… but now I don't really know." Pause "I care deeply for him; he is one of my oldest, best friends. I really don't want to break his heart…" _

_Harry decided not to push any further, seeing how confused the lad was. "I'm sorry" he apologized, "I'm the one being very rude. I have no right to ask you such intimate questions." They worked quietly after that. _

"_So…" again Draco broke the silence. Talking—he decided—was much better than silently doing the dishes. He could practically feel the tension prickling between them. "you mentioned chatter being refreshing, yes? I suppose you aren't close to your parents?" _

_Harry smiled at the blonde's weak attempt. "Hmm… well I wouldn't say that we weren't 'close'. We are actually. But…" 'the dining hall is just too big when it's just the four of us' "work is work and conversation is conversation, ya know? We just cannot allow the two things to mingle... Some traditions bind us into acting a certain kind of way, I suppose." He tried to explain without giving away too much information of him being a monarch. But his nerves got the better of him, letting a small plate slip from his kitchen echoes with the sound of shattering glass. _

"_Bullocks" Harry cursed without a second thought. "Theo might wake up" _

_All of a sudden Draco burst out laughing; laughter which left Harry with butterflies in his stomach. "You break one of mother's plates and you worry about THEO?" He managed to say in between breathes. "That boy sleeps like a log when drunk. I'm surprise if he'll even wake up tomorrow morning!" _

"_You really aren't used to this type of work, aren't you Harry?" Draco piped moments later, crouching on the floor to pick up shards of broken glass." Harry was beside him, doing the same. _

"_Not really" the man confessed, bringing the remained of the pieces to the waste bin. _

"_So how do you do the dishes then?" the blonde questioned, patting his hands clean of the dust from the floor. Two pale hands were perched on his waist and an eyebrow rose challengingly towards Harry. _

"_Well" the said man began, patting his hands clean as well "If I remember correctly it was something like…" raising a hand to the surface of the bubbles and closing his eyes in concentration. He recalled the words which the servants used to say when too many plates were needed to be cleaned. He whispered the incantation and slowly the bubbles began to rise and the plates magically cleaning themselves. _

_Green eyes opened astonishment. So Harry __**was **__a wizard! He knew it! All thought left him as he watched the brunette seemingly dance in choreography with the dishes. It was amazing seeing the man use his magic for the first time. "Harry… you're amazing!" He exclaimed while watching in awe. "That's fantastic! Do tell me where you learned that." _

_Harry whipped around, bubbles floating around him. "Handy little trick, ya? Something I picked up in my great adventures to the kitchens when I was a boy. It's pretty complicated though without a wand on me but seems to be working fine." _

"_So it's wandless, what you do?" Draco inquired, steadily being intrigued by the man in front of him. "Like when you the broom to fly?" _

"_Uhm…" Harry finished the cleaning and drying the remaining dishes before taking the seat across Draco. "It's sort of like that. But you see, brooms are spelled to levitate. So…I guess it's kind of like that." Then the realization hit him. "You have brooms!" He almost yelled. He might be able to borrow one and fly back home! That could be his shinning opportunity. "Say, do you mind if I borrow one?" _

_Draco, sadly, shook his head. "Madam Pierce keeps them. Our village isn't that big so we normally walk on foot around here. Brooms are only used for the games in lieu with the moon festival. Creaothceann, I think that's what it's called." _

"_Creaothceann…" the name was strangely familiar to him. He knew he's read about it somewhere before but he couldn't quite remember. _

"_All the dominant males go through it but one must be at least the age of seventeen. Madam Pierce is the supreme adjudicator of the game. She levitates hundreds of rocks across the plains and all the hopefuls need to catch as many rocks as possible in cauldrons attached to their brooms. Hence the verse; _

_ 'the players assembled, twelve five, hearty men,  
they trapped on their cauldrons, stood poised to fly,  
at the sound of the horn they were swiftly airborne  
but ten of their number were fated to die'_

_Not really die. More of injured really. Hence the dire need of Pomfrey to be present during the moon festival. She takes care of the casualties." _

"_Why would they go through such a thing?" _

"_It's a custom really—a test of masculinity, virility, strength and courage. Many do it for the sake of love; it's how the boys in our village prove their love to their betrothed. How about you Harry, do you have a betrothed back where you came from?" _

_Harry shook his head. "Not back home. See, I was actually on a journey to find a betrothed when I the wormhole suddenly appeared. It brought me here." _

"_So you do have one!" disappointment lacing into the tone_

"_No, no!" Harry shook his head fiercely. "It was a meeting. I was merely off to see suitable candidate for a betrothed." _

_Draco visibly relaxed at the statement. "So you don't fancy anyone from home?" _

"_Not one" Harry smiled "they all fancy Evan, my brother." _

"_Evan?" the boy answered with a yawn, eyes steadily closing. He felt like he could rest now that he knew Harry was not betrothed. He felt relieved by it. _

"_Yes, yes, Evan." The brunette assured softly, seeing that the blonde was steadily falling asleep. "But we'll save that for another night, shall we? I think it's time to retire for the night." He murmured, lifting the lad up by his shoulders and knees. "Don't move" he cooed wordlessly chanting a levitating spell. "I might drop you if you struggle." _

"_Goodness, Harry. You didn't have to do that!" He heard Narcissa from the door. Turning around as gently as possible, he faced her. _

"_It's alright. He seems terribly exhausted." _

"_Dear me, my boy, Lucius and I simply lost track of time. I apologize if I caused you trouble…" she explained, giving him a sympathetic look. _

"_I should be the one thanking you for your, generosity Mrs. Malfoy—"_

"—_Narcissa" she cut in. _

"…_Narcissa. If you don't mind, I'd like to out Draco to bed now…" with her approval, Harry tiptoed up the stairs, part Theo's rooms and into Draco's. He placed the blonde to bed as gently as possible. With a spell, he magically changed the constricting clothes into looser and lighter ones before placing the covers over Draco's for._

"_Goodnight Draco" he whispered, allowing his urge to kiss the boy's forehead. "I'll pick a lot of flowers for you tomorrow." _

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hello! First off, I would like to apologize for my lo—ong hiatus.

Anyhow. Nothing was too eventful in this chapter; we did meet Ginny and Hermioned. I apologize for not including the other Weasleys. I guess they will come at their own time. Meanwhile thank you for your ever encouraging support for this story. In the future, despite the long updates, I hope you continue reading.

Review if you like!

-Arh

August 31, 2011

OTHERWORKS:

**31 Days (Complete) **- A heartbreaking story of Harry, once happily married, now asking Draco for a divorce and Draco's '31 days' of masquerade for Scorpius as he returns for the holidays.

**A Long Way From Surrey (Complete) **- A story of Draco when Harry goes into a muggle war and Harry's untimely return.

**Return to the Platform (Complete) **- A three-part story of Harry and Draco's encounters througout the years. From their parting at Hogwarts to their meeting once again as professors in school.

**Exctasy (Complete) - **A story of aphrodiacs.

**Falling In-love with the Rain (On-going) - **My modern twist to the Cinderella-classic. Modern-times. A story where Draco is the heir to the largest modeling agency in Europe and Harry is a lowly, unknown, designer.


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